THE Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the Welsh Government to provide an urgent increase in investment in Montgomeryshire after an analysis of Welsh unemployment figures found that Montgomeryshire has the third highest rate in Wales - almost double the national average.

Figures from the Senedd research department show that Montgomeryshire had an unemployment rate of 7.3 per cent - a number that one MS called “absolutely shocking.”

That compared to the Welsh national average of 3.8 per cent and the UK average of 4.5 per cent.

The party said the figures show that the Welsh Government is “continuing to forget about mid Wales” and are calling for urgent investment to create new jobs in Montgomeryshire.

Alison Alexander, the spokesperson for Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrats said: “These figures are extremely disappointing to see and the people of Montgomeryshire deserve better.

“Low levels of investment into Montgomeryshire over recent years has helped feed the perception that Welsh Labour doesn’t care about anything north of the Brecon Beacons.

“Even within north and south Powys, we can see a huge discrepancy in the figures with Brecon and Radnorshire only seeing an unemployment rate of 4% in comparison to the extraordinarily high rates here.

“The Welsh Government urgently needs to invest more in good quality jobs here, including in the green jobs of the future.”

Mid & West Wales MS Jane Dodds called the figures “absolutely shocking” and said “there is no justification that allows for unemployment in Montgomeryshire to be this high.”