Local authority leaders have called for a ‘radical shift’ away from a centralised system of employment support services, after a consultation heard that ‘things work best when there is local involvement in the design of support'.
The Commission on the Future of Employment Support has published an interim report today, based on what it believes to be the largest consultation of its kind in a generation.
The consultation identified a lack of coherence within central Government, with at least five departments having responsibility for employment and the labour market but none joining this up effectively with each other – or with local authorities.
The consultation found there was ‘near consensus’ on the benefits of more localised commissioning.
Areas with greater local powers argued that devolution of skills funding and other responsibilities had made their employment support more accessible for residents and employers and better able to meet their needs.
However, the consultation heard that a ‘complicated and fragmented landscape’ of local support within the current system often made it difficult for services to join up effectively.
Service users found this ‘demoralising’ and were discouraged from seeking further help, the report said.
Cllr Shaun Davies, chair of the Local Government Association (LGA), said: ‘We need a radical shift in the top-down, centralised approach we use to match people with jobs and this interim report’s findings are a positive first step towards achieving this.
‘The LGA wants to see a new local deal, which will help to build a brand new central-local partnership in which local government can work to its full potential for our people and create much needed opportunities in our communities.’
