Labour’s plans to help people back to work will provide support and guidance, and give people properly paid jobs, training and a sense of purpose while strengthening the economy, says Northumberland Labour.

Northumberland Labour’s shadow cabinet member for adult wellbeing Mark Purvis said: “Working in a job where you’re properly rewarded and valued is essential and this is the starting point for Labour’s plan when they get into power. Work is about so much more than money. A fulfilling job gives people purpose and the ability to care for themselves and those who depend on them.”

Labour will:

1.       reform employment support, to provide tailored support in every local area for harder-to-help groups;

2.       reform the Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) regime for those on benefits removing the need for reassessments for potentially thousands of people; Labour will allow claimants to agree with their benefits advisor that if they try paid work and it does not work out, within a period of a year they can go back to the exact benefits they were on, with no fresh health assessments required;

3.       fix the Access to Work scheme. This will mean people searching for work and employers know what support is available to help in the workplace;

4.       give targeted help for those over 50s to offer all those who have previously worked but recently left the labour market back-to-work support and guidance;

5.       Provide specialist help for those with long-term ill-health building on targeted programmes, including those that join up with the NHS, to provide better specialist support;

6. Locally deliver services so local partnerships to decide how best to design services allowing self-referrals and GPs, housing associations and community groups to easily direct people to employment support;

7. Work towards fulfilling quality employment by reforming Universal Credit to give people support to move into work or into better jobs. Our reforms will help people into jobs paying decent wages with decent terms and conditions.

Mark Purvis added: “The evidence shows that people want to work. Labour is putting plans in place to ensure that help and support is available. It’s working people who create wealth in this country. Labour wants to do everything it can to support them.”