Decision
Analysis
outcome: The recommendations were approved, noting the updates provided on various economic and skills-related matters.
summary: The decision concerns the economic strategy and skills development in Staffordshire, including updates on universal credit claimants, youth unemployment, the transfer of Local Enterprise Partnership functions, educational achievements, job creation, and the celebration of local tourism and hospitality businesses.
topline: The Staffordshire Council has decided to approve recommendations on the county's economic strategy and skills development amidst challenging economic conditions.
reason_contentious: The issue may be contentious due to the increase in universal credit claimants and youth unemployment, which could reflect broader economic challenges and impact local communities. The transfer of responsibilities from the Local Enterprise Partnership to the County Council may also raise concerns about effective management and stakeholder engagement.
affected_stakeholders: Universal credit claimants, young people, local businesses, educational institutions, tourism and hospitality businesses, and local government authorities.
contentiousness_score: 5
political_party_relevance: There is no direct mention of political parties or political influence on the decision within the provided text.
URL: https://moderngov.staffordshire.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=3685
Decision Maker:
Outcome: Recommendations Approved
Is Key Decision?: No
Is Callable In?: No
Purpose:
Content: Decision – That the oral report of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills giving an update on “Staffordshire Means Back to Business” activity including the following matters be noted: · This month saw an increase of 855 universal credit claimants in Staffordshire, whilst at the same time we have seen significant increases both regionally and nationally. This reflects the challenging economic conditions businesses continue to operate in across the country and will in part be due to some seasonal jobs coming to an end. The total number of claimants in the county now stands at 15,910 and the claimant rate has increased this month from 2.8% to 3.0% of the working age population. However, it is important to note that the claimant count rate in Staffordshire continues to be one of the lowest in the West Midlands, far lower than the average for the region of 5.0%, and lower than the average for England of 3.9%. · The youth claimant count in Staffordshire saw an increase of 140 claimants this month to a total of 3,020 young people. Increases were also seen regionally and nationally. The proportion of young people in Staffordshire aged 18-24 that are claiming work-related Universal Credit has increased this month from 4.6% to 4.8%. This continues to be lower than the national rate of 5.3% and far lower than the regional rate of 7.1%. · Last month I updated Cabinet on our work to transfer the functions of the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership into the County Council. Government has confirmed that one of the LEPs previous responsibilities, namely the delivery of an economic strategy across the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent geography, will now be the responsibility of the upper tier authorities from April and that this will be a key document in being able to access future national funding programmes. Whilst this is now the responsibility of the County and City Council’s, we will of course need to continue to work closely with our district and borough partners, local businesses and relevant economic stakeholders. The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Economic Strategy needs to be published by the end of September and therefore this work will be progressing quickly over the coming and I’ll ensure that Cabinet are updated and have a chance to shape this important piece of work. · Since 2010, the number of our residents who have no qualifications has almost halved, whilst we now have around 60,000 more residents who have a degree level qualification. This is a huge achievement and is a key reason why we have seen related successes in recent months and years, including average earnings of our residents now equalling the national average and the significant additional number of jobs that have been created in the area. Recently released jobs data shows that 15,000 additional jobs were created in Staffordshire between 2021 and 2022, whilst we now have almost 60,000 more jobs within the county when compared to 2010. This huge improvement in the skills levels of our residents is thanks to significant investment and the work of not only the County Council but all our skills providers across Staffordshire. Our Community Learning Service plays an important role in providing opportunities for lifelong learning and this week is our Adult Learning and Skills Festival, which is taking place at venues across the county, and will offer events and adult learning taster session for Staffordshire residents, whether they are looking to learn new skills for personal wellbeing, a career change or starting a business. · We of course know that the skills required by not only our existing but also future businesses is continually evolving, and therefore we need to make sure that our skills system continues to be capable of providing the skills we need. Our Institute of Technology will play a key role in this by delivering higher level technical qualifications, led by the Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group in collaboration with university and private sector partners. Construction on the site officially started at the end of last month, with the first learners due to start in 2025. · Last week was our Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism & Good Food Awards, a chance to celebrate and champion our tourism and hospitality businesses which contribute so much to our local economy. The awards have been growing year-on-year and we received a record number of entries for this year with our awards now being the largest tourism awards competition in the Midlands and the second largest in England. In total there were 20 award winners and 14 of these will now go on to represent the county at the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence to be held in Liverpool in June.
Date of Decision: March 20, 2024