Decision details

To outline, and seek approval for, the City Council’s role in supporting employment and skills activities identified in the LSP Education, Skills and Opportunities Thematic Group Action Plan as a response to worklessness within the District. These activities include a funding bid to the LSP for a Worklessness Pilot Project focused on outreach and engagement with hard to reach individuals and groups in the District’s most deprived areas.

(Cabinet Members with Special Responsibility Councillors Archer and Mace)

The Corporate Director (Regeneration) submitted a report to outline, and seek approval for, the City Council’s role in supporting employment and skills activities identified in the LDLSP Education, Skills and Opportunities Thematic Group Action Plan as a response to worklessness within the District.  Specific approval is sought for a funding bid to the LDLSP for a Worklessness Pilot Project focused on outreach and engagement with hard to reach individuals and groups in the District’s most deprived areas.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment, were set out in the report as follows:

Lancaster & Morecambe Worklessness Pilot Project

City Council approach towards worklessness

Officer Preferred Option (and comments):

Option 2 is the preferred option for the Worklessness Pilot Project as this will enable the City Council to undertake an active role in supporting some of the hardest-to-reach groups and individuals to secure employment and training opportunities, contributing towards efforts to achieve the LAA target to reduce the number of working age people claiming out of work benefits in target areas (although this target may be subject to revision in response to the economic downturn).  It would also enable the City Council to maintain its work with vulnerable households with the additional Supporting People funding potentially available from Lancashire County Council.

Option 2 is also the preferred option for the City Council’s approach towards worklessness as this will be in accordance with the draft 2009/10 Corporate Plan Key Action 1.3 to deliver the Council’s actions in the LDLSP’s Education, Skills and Opportunities Thematic Group Action Plan.  It will also support local action planning to respond to LAA targets related to worklessness and skills.  The development of the Employment and Skills Plan could also provide valuable input to the economic assessment process proposed under the Sub National Review of Economic Development and Regeneration, especially in the context of emerging Government proposals to introduce Work and Skills Plans setting out how local partners can achieve their LAA targets.

The Corporate Director (Regeneration) clarified with Cabinet Members that, should Recommendation 1 in the report be accepted, Cabinet would be effectively authorising vacancies for the pilot project, since to prepare and submit vacancy forms to Cabinet following acceptance of the recommendation would create a delay with the project.

It was moved by Councillor Archer and seconded by Councillor Mace:-

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”

Members then voted:-

Resolved unanimously:

(Note: Councillor Barry was not present when the vote was taken.)

(1)       That Members endorse the funding bid to the Lancaster District Local Strategic Partnership (LDLSP) for the Lancaster & Morecambe Worklessness Pilot Project, approve its implementation and the updating of the revenue budget if the bid is successful and authorise the Corporate Director (Regeneration) to agree appropriate line management arrangements.

(2)       That Members endorse the Supporting People funding bid already made to Lancashire County Council and, if formally offered, approve the on-going implementation of the vulnerable households activity to complement the Worklessness Pilot Project, and the updating of the revenue budget.

(3)       That Members acknowledge the role of the City Council in employment and skills activities which complement its draft 2009/10 Corporate Plan priority to deliver the Council’s actions in the LDLSP’s Education, Skills and Opportunities Thematic Group Action Plan.

(4)       That appropriate officer time be committed, within existing staff resources, to support actions included within the LDLSP Education, Skills and Opportunities Thematic Group Action Plan.

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

Corporate Director (Regeneration)

Head of Economic Development and Tourism

Reasons for making the decision:

The decision is in line with the preferred options in the report. The Worklessness Pilot Project will enable the City Council to undertake an active role in supporting some of the hardest-to-reach groups and individuals to secure employment and training opportunities, contribute towards efforts to achieve the LAA target to reduce the number of working age people claiming out of work benefits in target areas.  It will also enable the City Council to maintain its work with vulnerable households with the additional Supporting People funding potentially available from Lancashire County Council.

The preferred option for the City Council’s approach towards worklessness is in accordance with the draft 2009/10 Corporate Plan Key Action 1.3 to deliver the Council’s actions in the LDLSP’s Education, Skills and Opportunities Thematic Group Action Plan.  It will also support local action planning to respond to LAA targets related to worklessness and skills.  The development of the Employment and Skills Plan could also provide valuable input to the economic assessment process proposed under the Sub National Review of Economic Development and Regeneration, especially in the context of emerging Government proposals to introduce Work and Skills Plans setting out how local partners can achieve their LAA targets.