Nearly 85,000 new businesses — in areas ranging from manufacturing and technology to leisure and retail — have been created by people on Job-seekers’ Allowance since the Government’s New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) was launched in 2011.

Through the NEA, people who want to start their own business can access Government funding plus on-going expertise from dedicated mentors about how to get started and then manage a business.

The then-Employment Minister Priti Patel (pictured) said: “It is testament to this nation’s entrepreneurial spirit that people have risen to the challenge in their droves. The NEA has given them the confidence to secure their own financial future.”

The local-authority areas with the highest number of people starting a business since 2011 are: Birmingham (1,520), Liverpool (1,460), Glasgow (1,290), Sheffield (1,270) and County Durham (1,240).