Esther McVey MP, Minister for Employment, has addressed local Conservatives at Stallingborough, near Caistor, and her warm comments have pleased local councillors and activists alike.
Ms McVey spoke of the important role that local councils, like West Lindsey District Council, can play in partnership with Job Centres and the Department of Work & Pensions, to deliver key improvements in getting people into work. Speaking about how the Coalition Government has delivered record levels of employment Ms McVey said:
“With an employment rate which has never been higher, record women in work and more young people in jobs, the resilience of the country during the downturn is being rewarded. We know there is more to do, and the best way to do so is to go on delivering a plan that’s creating growth and jobs.”
Her visit came following an announcement by the Department of Work and Pensions that they will be funding a trial partnership programme between job centres and local authorities in six areas of Britain, including in West Lindsey.
West Lindsey District Councillor, Giles McNeill, thinks that local councils are often on the frontline, trying to ensure that economic growth is delivered for the benefit of local residents, he said:
“It is the Conservative-led coalition government that has created the most jobs our history and now Britain is the fastest growing economy of any large advanced economy in the world.
“Ms McVey was clear about the role that all parts of our society must play in ensuring that work always pays. I was particularly impressed by her willingness to explain how people who are prepared to work are to be rewarded and those who are not prepared to work will no-longer be subsidised by the state.”
The trial will look at the best way to prepare a claimant for the world of work, and help with claiming benefits they may be entitled to, by helping them with online access, digital support, employability skills and managing their finances on a monthly basis. Cllr. McNeill added:
“This trial will bring important benefits to residents in West Lindsey, now. It means we won’t be waiting like other parts of the country to take advantage of new ways of getting people who can work back into employment.”