Exclusive:'Potential' for more employment support to be handed down to mayors

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has been running an economic inactivity trailblazer, to try and get people back into work or training.

More employment support powers could be handed down to mayors after the success of a trailblazer scheme in West Yorkshire, Pat McFadden has said.

The Work and Pensions Secretary was speaking to The Yorkshire Post from Wakefield, and said there was “potential to do more” in this sphere of devolution.

Mr McFadden visited the city’s innovative job centre and St George’s Community Centre, in Lupset, where staff are trying to bring services closer to the community.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has been running an economic inactivity trailblazer, to try and get people back into work or training.

This has seen twice as many people as the Government target, and Mr McFadden said it made a strong case for more powers to be handed down.

“This is all part of the devolution agenda that the new Prime Minister has been so enthusiastic about,” he said.

“That’s a pot of money which is very flexible which allows the mayor to spend as they wish helping economically inactive people into work.

“It is devolved so the idea is that local mayors and combined authorities will be closer to their own labour markets, they’ve got a lot of flexibility about how they use the money.

“This is part of what I think will be an increased agenda of devolution for employment support services in the future.”

Mr McFadden said the Government may look to hand down responsibilities for Restart, the long-term programme which helps people who have been out of work for more than a year.

He also suggested that Alan Milburn’s review of so-called Neets, young people not in employment, education or training, could recommend further devolution.

Mr Milburn based his approach on his Pathways to Work Commission that he ran in Barnsley.

“I think there is potential to do more,” Mr McFadden added.