Jobseekers in Lincolnshire will benefit from a range of measures designed to kick-start the economy, it has been claimed.

The Chancellor announced plans to create or support 250,000 jobs as part of a package of measures to stem the rise in unemployment.

As part of his Budget yesterday, Alistair Darling said the Government was determined not to return to the days when a whole generation of young people found themselves "abandoned to a future on the scrapheap."

The Jobcentre Plus network will get an additional £1.7 billion, on top of £1.3 billion previously announced so that "everyone" can receive high-quality support.

Latest figures show that 12,739 Lincolnshire residents are claiming unemployment benefits, but the Chancellor said that most people, even now, continued to find work within a matter of weeks.

From January, everyone under the age of 25, who has been out of work for 12 months, will be offered a job or a place in training, and those in work will receive a wage.

Mr Darling said today that statutory redundancy pay will increase from £350 to £380 a week, but the move is unlikely to please trade unions which had been pressing for a rise.

Lincoln MP Gillian Merron said: "We know that if we don't act now, it will cost us all more in the long run.

"Building on the support already coming through – from an income tax and VAT cut – the measures in the Budget will help us deal with the economic difficulties and support jobs, families, businesses and the environment."

For more analysis on the Budget and how it will affect you see next week's Target.