A-million-futures-halving-the-disability-employment-gap.pdf?ext=

One of the key advantages ofthe City Deals is that they cantarget these new areas ofdemand to particulardisadvantaged groups – and thiscould include disabled people.As such, City Deals offer a keyopportunity to connect disabledpeople’s employment outcomeswith the priorities for growth andjob creation in a given area.2. Connecting disabled peopleto growing sectors of theeconomy2.4 million disabled people livein the areas covered by the CityDeals, of whom 1.4 million arenot in work. [50] But employmentrates vary significantly acrossthe country. Particularly in areasof the north and midlands, thereis a higher incidence of particularconditions and impairments [51] –something which has beenlinked to the impact of long-termunemployment in those areas. [52]There is also evidence tosuggest that areas with highrates of unemployment aremore likely to feature a higherproportion of the populationreporting impairments orpoor health. [53]Addressing unemploymentregionally, and providing bettersupport to disabled peopleis therefore an integral partof regeneration and growthstrategies.3. City Deals allow for innovativeapproaches to creating jobsfor disabled peopleA key objective of the CityDeals is to reduce long-termunemployment. Policy-makersare able to use the City Dealsframework to develop and deliverbespoke interventions targetedto specific features of thelocal economy.It is vital that this mandate isused to create innovative linksbetween demand for skills andsupport for disabled people –not just to replicate existingprovision, or develop newwelfare-to-work schemes.The creation of Skills Boardsas part of the City Dealsinfrastructure should help tobring together skills needs withcolleges and providers – butmaking these links effective willbe essential.4. City Deals can bringtogether new partnershipsto create better outcomesfor disabled peopleDisabled people looking for workrely on having a wide range ofother support services in placeto enable successful careers,which can include housing,social care, welfare advice andpotentially other support such aschildcare. City Deals offer theopportunity to link some of theseservices in a new way, and toco-ordinate activity towardsbroader goals includingemployment.These types of partnership arealready happening – but it’s vitalthat City Deals agenciesunderstand the challengesdisabled people face if they areto reduce unemployment in theirarea. For many disabled people,there are a wide range ofbarriers to employment and anyeffective employment strategy –regional or otherwise – needs toensure that there is support inplace to address these barriers.To do this, DPO’s andrepresentatives should beinvolved in developing andimplementing the City Deals. .These groups can bring a uniqueperspective to discussions andhelp identify where there are notenough existing jobs andservices in an area.Recommendations:•The next Government shouldmake a new funding streamavailable for City Deals throughthe Cabinet Office thatincentivises job creationprogrammes based on disabledpeople’s employment outcomes.The funding mechanism shouldbe decided in partnership withindividual City Deals.•In addition to collating economicdata, wherever possible SkillsBoards and City Regions shoulddevelop better labour marketintelligence about disabledpeople in the local economy.•Thenext Government shouldestablish a national What Workscentre and network of goodpractice in employment support,to support civil servants andCity Region boards to developproposals and programmes tosupport disabled peopleinto work.•Inthe interim, the currentGovernment should explorewhether trial areas for theUniversal Credit Local SupportServices Frameworks could offeran existing network of local andregional partnerships for regionaldisability programmes to engagewith, such as through theCity Deals.•LocalAuthorities and CityDeals should createmechanisms to engage with thirdsector organisations andDisabled People’s Organisations.This should focus on ‘bridging’employment support withdisabled people’s widersupport needs.20 21