Agenda item

Report is an up-date on progress on  WLA Employment and Health Programme lead by Paul Najsarek.

Kim Archer (Work and Health Programme Lead, West London Alliance) introduced the item which provided an update to the Board on the West London Alliance’s Employment and Health Programme. She offered some background on the programme, and outlined that it had begun around three years ago with the Mental Health and Employment Trailblazer before incorporating a number of Transformation Challenge Award (TCA) funded pilots. She noted that the supporting Programme Board was chaired by Paul Najsarak (Chief Executive, London Borough of Ealing) and had attained strong interest from both the GLA and Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). It was felt that this was because of how the trailblazer sought to specifically address the barriers that people with mental health problems had in finding employment. She noted how the TCA pilots had demonstrated how the West London boroughs could work together effectively and had achieved positive outcomes for residents. The outcomes had been particularly positive in helping to tackle unemployment in West London hotspots and working alongside business to drive up skills amongst low earners.

She detailed the importance of funding for these projects, and highlighted that the WLEPB would need to think about how the funding from the European Social Fund (ESF) would be replaced when the UK leaves the European Union (EU). She also explained how the budget for the Work and Health programme was due to be transferred to London sub-regions from early 2018 and that the DWP had delegate a £16million grant over five years of the provision. Dan Gascoyne added that the London sub-regions had collaborated on procurement, which was being led in West London by the London Borough of Ealing. He thanked WLEPB members for having agreed to share the financial risks and that the budget transfer to sub-regions was an unprecedented example of devolution in London. Kim Archer continued by explaining that four outline business cases had also been submitted as part of the NWL STP work to fund additional initiatives which look across programmes to address a range of different health and employment issues.

Members discussed the urgent need to think about plugging funding gaps with the loss of the ESF. It was stressed that there needed to be a strong piece of work in this area as Britain’s withdrawal from the EU was only 18 months away. It was noted that any additional contribution from Councils needed to be identified quickly as budget planning would begin well in advance of the start of the next financial year. Dan Gascoyne acknowledged this and stated that Work and Health Programme team at the West London Alliance were looking at the practicalities and the direct impact caused by the lack of ESF funding plus other potential funding options.

Questions arose on whether the targets for the programmes were felt to be ambitious enough and what more could be done to engage with ‘hard-to-reach’ unemployed individuals with a range of health problems. Kim Archer said that the targets for the programme were developed in line with what was felt could be achieved when the programme was created. She noted that a formal evaluation of the programme was due to take place in the summer, which would help to re-assess whether more was achievable in terms of overreaching targets and engagement strategies.   

It was RESOLVED that the report be noted.