Decision details

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Heritage seeking to secure approval to accept a European Social Fund (ESF) grant of £529,449 from the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) towards the delivery of the Solent Get into Employment project and to approve the Council to act as Accountable Body for the administration of project funding totalling £1.06m.

The project will run for 2 years commencing September 2021 and support 610 unemployed adults with learning disabilities, learning difficulties, autism or neuro diverse conditions, living in Southampton and the Solent region, into work or training.

Project delivery partners are Southampton City Council (Lead Partner), The Prince’s Trust and Autism Hampshire. Employment support caseworkers will work with local agencies (e.g. Day Services, community mental health, housing and resettlement teams, Job Centre Plus) and businesses to coordinate and optimise client referrals and progression into work.

(i)  To delegate authority to the Executive Director, Communities, Culture and Homes to take all actions necessary to accept the grant and deliver the project until December 2023.

(ii)  To accept, in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules, a grant of £529,000 from DWP as match funding towards a total project budget of £1,059,000.

(iii)  To approve, in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules, a corresponding revenue virement totalling £1,059,000 to the Solent Get into Employment project over 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24, along with the Council’s individual financial contribution of £324,000 from existing budgets, of which £215,000 is itself from secured external funding; and

(iv)  To approve the Council to act as Accountable Body for the administration of grant funding and the delivery of the Solent Get into Employment project.

1.  Under SCC Financial Procedure Rules, the matter requires a Cabinet decision to accept the grant award from the Department for Work & Pensions and to deliver the Solent Get into Employment project.

2.  Southampton City Council will lead the project on behalf of a delivery partnership which will support adults living in Southampton and the wider Solent area into learning and work. Council investment will be focussed on service delivery in the City, whilst delivery outside the City will be ensured by The Prince’s Trust and Autism Hampshire. Target beneficiaries will be people who face significant challenges in gaining work or training due to learning disabilities, learning difficulties, autism or neuro-diversity (e.g. dyspraxia, dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), and associated physical or mental health conditions.

3.  The proposed grant funding will contribute to the delivery of the Council’s key priorities of creating a City with strong and sustainable economic growth, and where people can live safe, healthy and independent lives. The external funding will enable Solent Get into Employment to:

•  Help economically inactive people move into employment.

•  Assist employers secure the people they need to address labour shortages and improve business performance.

•  Widen project reach and impact by encouraging further innovative solutions to tackle unemployment, to maximise integration between local delivery partners and to build on the success of current interventions, including the Young Adults Employment Hub and Solent Apprenticeship Hub.

To not accept the ESF grant would result in the loss of external funding and cancellation of a proposed project to support economically inactive individuals overcome their barriers to employment, and to become more economically independent.