Councils should be given greater responsibility for coordinating efforts to tackle rising unemployment in their local areas, an independent review has proposed.

In its interim report published today for consultation the review team, chaired by Cllr Stephen Houghton of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, recommends that upper tier councils be responsible for conducting analyses of the causes of worklessness in their local communities, as part of the Government's proposals for local authorities to undertake economic assessments.

Building on the priority given to worklessness in Local and Multi Area Agreements, councils and partnerships who want to go further on worklessness would be able to agree Work and Skills Plans with Government, outlining how worklessness would be addressed, and gaining additional freedoms and resources in return.

Read the full article at http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/168179.

See Publications to download the publication.