Northumberland Labour says getting people back to work will be a priority if a Labour government is elected.
Deputy Leader Liz Simpson said: “Thousands of people want to work but don’t have the support they need. Labour has a plan for employment reform to get specialist help to those who need it and to get Britain back to work.
“A rewarding job, with good terms and conditions which pays properly so people can afford to have a decent standard of living is a must in a rich, modern society.
“After years of being let down by the Tories, it’s time to put people first.”
A Labour government will:
- devolve employment support to local areas, so they can provide to provide tailored support in every local area. There will be specialist help for those over 50 and those with long-term health conditions and reform Universal Credit to give people support to move into work or into better jobs;
- move away from rigid, national contracting and ensure resources to help people find work are closer to the communities they serve;
- allow self-referrals and GPs, housing associations and community groups to easily direct people to employment support;
- reform the Work Capability Assessments regime for those on benefits removing the need for reassessments for potentially thousands of people;
- 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.
Liz added: “The deliberate scaling back of help to people when they need will take considerable time to put right but we are up for the job because it means better lives for the people of our county and this country.”
