Today the UK Government’s Employment Minister came to Blackwood Miners’ Institute for a roundtable discussion on welfare support.
The Government is inviting feedback on its proposals to “Get Britain Working”, which include strengthening workers’ rights and overhauling Jobcentres, with a public consultation that runs until 30 June.
The Department for Work and Pensions is running a ticketed event in Wales on Monday 23 June, and several online events.
Also at the table were Deputy Leader of Caerphilly Council, Jamie Pritchard, the council’s Employment Support Team, advisers from the local Citizens Advice Bureau and residents who might be affected by the proposals.
The UK and Welsh governments are working to fix a “broken” welfare system which “locks people out of work”.
Minister for Employment, Alison McGovern, said: “It has been fantastic to be here in Blackwood today with Ruth Jones MP and the Deputy Council Leader Jamie Pritchard, to hear from people and organisations with lived experience of the welfare system.
“This Labour Government inherited a broken social security system from the Tories – a system which is holding our people and our country back.
“Millions of people are being denied all the benefits of good work. Our reforms will protect the most vulnerable and give people the support they need. That means helping people to stay in work when they fall ill, helping them back to work after an absence and making sure disabled people and people with health conditions get proper employment support and the same chances and choices as everyone else.”
Caerphilly Council’s Employment Support Team uses the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund and Welsh Government backing to help people into sustainable employment and tackle inequality by focusing support on people who are most disadvantaged in the labour market. This includes people with work-limiting health conditions, disabilities, and young people between the ages of 16 and 24.
The programme provides one-to-one support, with dedicated mentors who help participants to address barriers to employment and fully-funded training to increase their confidence and skills.
The funding also means disabled participants have the opportunity for paid work placements within the local authority.
The Employment Support Team works closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure participants can access the funding that is available to them and mitigate the risks of them having to leave employment due to health barriers.
Cllr Jamie Pritchard, Deputy Leader, said: “Here in Caerphilly County Borough, we are taking great strides to support people into employment. Our Employment Support Team are working with employers daily, with the ambition to support over 1,000 underemployed people over the coming year.
“Today’s roundtable in Blackwood Miners’ Institute was an important opportunity to listen, learn, and explore practical ways to help people overcome barriers and build brighter futures.”
I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this important discussion. I’ve had hundreds of calls and emails from constituents sharing their thoughts and this was a chance for the Minister to listen and learn directly from people in South Wales.
We all want the system to do what it is supposed to, which is to help people who can work, to do so, while providing security and dignity for those who cannot. I am particularly interested in proposals for a new right to try work, and removing the need for people with lifelong disabilities to attend needless eligibility reassessments.
Today we all came to the table with our own experiences of the welfare system, and we left with a determination to make it better. I would encourage all my constituents to take part in the consultation by 30 June, because it is only by learning from experience that we can begin to put things right.