Extra NHS capacity and Jobcentre reforms at heart of Labour’s plan to ‘get Britain working’
Jobcentre reform will be at the centre of the Labour government’s plans to “get Britain working again”.
Tackling the increasing number of people out of work and relying on the state for income has become a major priority of the state, with welfare costs taking up a sizeable portion of government spending.
According to the government, more than nine million people are economically inactive, with 2.8 million on long-term sickness – a number which has risen significantly since the pandemic.
The government will today be publishing its plans to get more people into employment in the form of the Get Britain Working white paper.
The government says its main aim is “to target and tackle the root causes of unemployment and inactivity, and better join up health skills and employment support based on the unique needs of local communities”.
Ill health is noted as the “biggest driver to inactivity”, and “fixing the NHS” is identified as a key task to get people back into work.
The government also points out that £22.6bn was promised in the budget for the health and social care system, with hopes that clearing NHS backlogs will return unwell people to the workforce.
The government says it will in future announce measures to “overhaul the health and disability benefits system so it better supports people to enter and remain in work and to tackle the spiralling benefits bill”.
As part of this, the 20 NHS trusts in England with the highest level of economic inactivity will be given extra capacity to reduce waiting lists.
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‘The benefits system can incentivise and disincentivise work’
Liz Kendall, the secretary of state for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), said: “To get Britain growing, we need to get Britain working again.
“Our reforms will break down barriers to opportunity, help people to get into work and on at work, allow local leaders to boost jobs and growth, and give our children and young people the best opportunities to get on in life.”
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£240m for reforms
Key among the plans announced today are changes to Jobcentres – with a potential for the service to be rebranded and the name changed down the line.
The “outdated” system will be changed into a “national jobs and careers service”, according to today’s announcement.
The government says staff will be allowed more flexibility to help users of the service, moving away from the current “tick box” culture.
Some £55m will be spent on the transition – linking the scheme with the National Career Service – with the government hoping to use AI to help work coaches, and move more services online.
This package forms part of a greater £240m being pledged by Labour for reform.
A £125m tranche of this will be used to invest in eight areas in England and Wales to provide work, health and skills support, which will then be used as blueprints for the rest of the country.
Those not part of these schemes will be able to claim part of a £15m pot, with the government aiming to hand local authorities more power in employment.
Sir Keir, centre, and Ms Kendall, second left, say they want to get more people into work. Pic: PA
Some £45m will be spent on eight “trailblazer” youth schemes in areas like Liverpool, Tees Valley and the East Midlands.
This is part of the government’s plans to increase the number of young people in work or education, and will target “those most at risk of falling out of education or employment and match them to opportunities for education, training or work”.
There will also be a “youth guarantee” – with 18 to 21-year-olds in England all having access to apprenticeship, education or help to find a job. As part of this, the apprenticeship levy will be reformed.
A review will also be launched into how employers can be better supported to employ people with disabilities.
‘An end to blaming and shaming’
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “Our reforms put an end to the culture of blaming and shaming people who for too long haven’t been getting the support they need to get back to work.
“Helping people into decent, well-paid jobs and giving our children and young people the best start in life – that’s our plan to put more money in people’s pockets, unlock growth and make people better off.”
Helen Whately, the Conservative shadow work and pensions secretary, said Labour had made “no attempt to match the £12bn in welfare savings we promised in our manifesto”.
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Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, backed Labour’s plans – but said: “Success will also depend on ministers making the investment that’s needed in health services and quality training.
“Jobcentre staff must have a central role in redesigning their services, and devolution must never come at the cost of staff terms and conditions.”
Louise Rubin, who is head of policy at disability equality charity Scope, said the government must understand the “lack of trust between disabled people and the DWP” – and the potential this has to undermine the reforms.
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New laws to reduce the use of short prison sentences and toughen up community punishments are expected to be introduced within weeks.
Ministers are expected to introduce the new legislation to the Commons after the summer recess.
The changes will abolish most short-term prison sentences and introduce an earned release scheme, based on a model used in Texas, where prisoners who demonstrate good behaviour can be freed earlier – while those who disobey prison rules are detained for longer.
This will include some prisoners jailed for violent offences, although those convicted of the most dangerous crimes and for terrorism will be excluded.
Shabana Mahmood (left) was said to be impressed by the system in place in Texan prisons. Pic: PA
The new bill will introduce many of the changes recommended by the independent sentencing review, carried out by former Conservative justice minister David Gauke earlier this year. It represents one of the largest overhauls of sentencing in a generation and marks a cornerstone of the government’s effort to reduce the size of the prison population in England and Wales.
As well as reducing the use of short custodial sentences, the changes will also toughen up community sentences, introducing a wider range of punishments for those serving time outside of prison. This could include bans on going to stadiums to watch sports or music events, as well as restrictions on visiting pubs, and the wider use of drug testing.
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Becky Johnson speaks with Daniel, a former convict, who was released early after prisons reached capacity.
Other punishments could include driving and travel bans, as well as restriction zones – confining them to certain areas. Some of these can already be imposed for certain crimes, but the new laws will mean that these could be handed down by a judge for any offence.
Under the legislation, which it is understood will be introduced in September, prison sentences of 12 months or less will be scrapped, except for in exceptional circumstances such as domestic abuse cases. Meanwhile, the length of suspended sentences – where an offender is not sent to prison immediately unless they commit a further crime – will be extended from two years to three.
The justice secretary is believed to have been inspired by the earned release scheme during a visit to the States, where she learned about the model being used in Texas to cut crime and bring their prison population under control.
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England is on course to run out of prison places for adult men by November, the Justice Secretary has warned.
Shabana Mahmood said that criminals who break the rules “must be punished” and that those serving their sentences in the community “must have their freedom restricted there, too”.
She added: “Rightly, the public expect the government to do everything in its power to keep Britain safe, and that’s what we’re doing.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice added: “This government inherited a prison system days away from collapse.
“That is why we are building 14,000 more prison places, with 2,500 already delivered, but we know we can’t build our way out of this crisis.
“Without further action, we will run out of prison places in months, courts would halt trials and the police [would] cancel arrests. That is why we are overhauling sentencing to make sure we always have the prison places needed to keep the country safe.”
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