Issue - meetings

The Board received a report which advised Members of a scheme that Newham Council had implemented to tackle unemployment and skills shortages and to consider whether there were any aspects of the scheme that could be applied to Halton.

The Chair had previously referred to an article in The Guardian Newspaper in January 2016 entitled ‘What’s behind the huge fall in deprivation in east London?  And no, it’s not gentrification’.  It was explained that the article reported that the latest indices of deprivation published in 2015 pointed to a significant improvement in Newham’s deprivation indicators, moving them from the second most deprived local authority in England to twenty fifth.  The report went on to discuss the success of Newham and the possible reasons for this; and whether their approach was one that Halton Council could explore.

In discussion Members noted the following:

·       Youth Employment Gateway;

·       The success rate for job applicants;

·       Average earnings in Halton; and

·       The use of Key Performance Indicators for target setting.

RESOLVED: That Members note the content of the report.