Content

12.1

The Committee
received a report from the Executive Director of City Futures which
sought approval from the Economic Development and Skills Policy
Committee to accept and become the Accountable Body for
£3.08m Department for Work and Pensions funding for an
Economic Inactivity Trailblazer in 2025-26 aimed at supporting
residents who are not engaging with the labour market to access
employment. This programme will become part of an integrated system
of employment, skills and health services within South Yorkshire
known as Pathways to Work. The report also sought authority to use
funding and commission providers to deliver frontline employment
support services in Sheffield, which form part of the Pathways to
Work system.

 

 

12.2

RESOLVED
UNANIMOUSLY: That the Economic
Development and Skills Policy Committee:
 

 

(a) 
Approval to accept £3.08m in
Economic Inactivity Trailblazer funding from the Department for
Work and Pensions (DWP) to fund activity targeted at economically
inactive residents of Sheffield.
(b) 
Approval to act as the Accountable Body
for the funds allocated to Sheffield City Council.
(c) 
Approval to use the DWP funds to
commission providers to deliver frontline employment support
services, as part of the Pathways to Work system.
(d) 
Approve the delivery of Pathways to Work
activity in Sheffield in accordance with the proposals outlined in
this paper.
(e) 
Note that the Pathways to Work Programme
needs to be commissioned and delivered in conjunction with the
People & Skills UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF)
activity.

 

 

12.3

Reasons for Decision

 

 

12.3.1

Approval of the
recommendations will allow SCC to commission and deliver a
scaled-up programme of employment support which aims to address the
long-standing and increasing problem of economic inactivity, as
part of a regional integration of employment, skills and health
services under Pathways to Work. This will provide vital support
for disadvantaged and under-serviced residents across the city,
provide access to employment which can boost household incomes and
improve health and wellbeing, and make a positive contribution to
the city economy.

 

 

12.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

 

 

12.4.1

Alternative Option
1: Do not participate in Pathways to Work. Pathways to Work is envisaged as region-wide system
change within the employment, skills and health landscape, with a
view to simplifying the system, improving the lives of residents,
strengthening communities and addressing long-standing structural
economic challenges. SYMCA and the four South Yorkshire LAs need to
work in partnership to achieve this. Given the high profile of the
Pathways to Work Commission, and with Government funding an
Economic Inactivity Trailblazer for South Yorkshire,
nonparticipation would carry significant reputational risk for SCC.
It would also negatively impact on SCC’s relationship with
SYMCA and result the loss of VCS employment support services across
the city, which SCC would no longer be able to fund.

 

 

12.4.2

Alternative Option
2: Pilot delivered by Barnsley only. Pathways to Work is based on the recommendations of
Barnsley’s Pathways to Work Commission. This report is cited
as influential in the Government’s ‘Get Britain
Working’ white paper, which announced Economic Inactivity
Trailblazer funding for South Yorkshire. There is an expectation
that Pathways to Work will be delivered as a regional programme
through Economic Inactivity Funding (£10m to SYMCA for the
region) and not participating in would carry reputational risk to
SCC.