Attendance at Committee by:
David Williams – Partnership Manager; and
Tracy Whelan – Senior Partnership Manager
Minutes:
The Chair welcomed to the meeting two representatives from the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP): Tracy Whelan, Senior Partnership Manager; and David Williams, Partnership Manager who had been invited to attend Committee to address the Members in relation to the provision of their services in the Ollerton area.
The representatives advised of their primary roles within the DWP and responded to a number of queries raised by the Members as follows.
In response to what the DWP’s offer in the district and ongoing key initiatives were, noting educational levels within the Ollerton area Members were advised that education was not within the remit of the DWP and that they could only comment on benefit claimants. It was stated that the DWP addressed issued that acted as barriers in getting people into employment. Once employed, it was hoped that they would continue to improve their skills which in turn could lead to better employment opportunities and also reduce the number of benefit claimants. It was confirmed that partnership working was undertaken with educational establishments to advise what skills were needed by employers.
A Member queried as to the how the DWP’s focus was determined and what metrics were used to inform their actions. In response, Members were advised that it was necessary to match the person to the vacancy and this was driven by the persons needs. There was also an element of localism and ultimately it was to provide people with the opportunity to earn a living.
In referring to the removal of a Level 7 qualification, a Member commented on the significance of this and queried how the DWP might assist employers in resolving the issue. In response, Members were advised that this issue was more relevant to employers and educational establishments. The majority of clients the DWP dealt with would not be able to undertake a Level 7 qualification and that if a person was unemployed or seeking employment, they were not able to undertake that higher level of qualification. The Member acknowledged that the DWP dealt with lower-level qualifications, 1-3, but the gap between those levels and 6-7 needed to be recognised. The representatives accepted that the gap between the levels was an issue and would raise this in an appropriate forum, providing a response to the Committee if received.
A Member queried as to whether the DWP engaged with employers locally and more widely which could lead to a client being given the opportunity to work remotely. Members were advised that funds were utilised through the UK Strategic Partnership Fund. Local business contacts were developed but this also extended nationally. The post-Covid labour market was very much changed but the DWPs clients still needed to be able to compete in that market and sector specific vocational training was available. Job Centres were involved in this process and client lists were produced which contributed to the way in which training was provided.
In response to what initiatives were in the pipeline for the more deprived areas of the district, the DWP acknowledged that youth unemployment was an issue as was supporting people with health barriers. The DWP were able to offer training to all their clients. Each individual required to search for employment were allocated a designated work coach. After a period of six months, if they still remained unemployed, they would be entered into a national programme. It was also noted that a client prevented from working due to a disability would be allocated a disability employment provider who would assist in looking to make reasonable adjustments to enable them to secure employment. Members were advised that new initiative was to be launched in July in relation to people who were considered to be economically inactive and considered more difficult to assist, noting that participation was voluntary.
A Member queried as to the extent to which the DWP linking in with other agencies in relation to support for hard-to-reach families. In response, Member were advised that such families would be supported by Family Community Work Coaches who would be based in family hubs and that school advisors would also support that work.
In noting and commending the DWPs work with veterans, a Member raised the issue of accessibility and how barriers might be removed to ensure that contact with the DWP was made as easy as possible, with a focus on areas of deprivation. Members were advised that there were various ways that claims for Universal Credit could be made, noting that these were mostly either done digitally or via a telephone. Digital communication was available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with access to a journal messaging system for the user. Since the closure of the Ollerton facility, the DWP were open to providing community outreach events to promote support available and also to link into other available support from alternative providers which included that for the economically inactivity due to health-related issues. It was also noted that, if necessary, the DWP would undertake video-calls and also visit people in their own homes.
In closing the debate, the Chair welcomed the DWPs willingness to work in partnership with other organisations, with specific mention of the work undertaken with partners in education. He stated he would welcome further information in this regard, with particular emphasis on the Ollerton area. He added that further consideration was needed in relation to how people could contact the DWP who were geographically remote and unable to use digital communication. He requested that the District Council’s Ollerton Members be provided with this information via email.