The Commons: get britain working plan - How Have brits responded?
The Get Britain Working campaign is a major UK government initiative aimed at increasing British employment figures as part of a drive to boost productivity and growth. We have already looked at why the plan is needed, which groups of people it targets, and the sector-specific issues that it looks to tackle in last week’s article. But what has the reaction to the government’s plan been?
Changing Lives, a charity based in the UK that supports the homeless, presents a broadly positive view of the Get Britain Working white paper. They note that “The government has identified several issues with our current system. As well as being too centralized and siloed, the focus has been on the wrong thing – unemployment at the expense of economic inactivity; benefits and compliance at the expense of actually supporting people into meaningful work.” However, they have concerns regarding the conditionality requirements of accessing benefits and the threat of sanctions if these conditions are not met, stating “We will have to wait and see how they manage this change in approach, while still having the same threat of sanctions hanging over people.”
The NHS will play a vital role in the Get Britain Working plan, and NHS staff will be on the front line of helping to get sick people off the waiting list and supporting them into employment. Monica Hamil, a trained nurse who has worked in the NHS for over 20 years, gave her thoughts on how the health service can help people return to work. “It’s hard to remotivate them back into the mindset [of work]”. She critiqued the idea that we simply need to make people better and get them off the waiting lists, saying that “it certainly impacts their mental health as well. Their confidence has dropped, and the working mindset has dropped as well.” It seems that while the Get Britain Working campaign certainly aims to get people off the waiting lists, it does not provide sufficient detail on how the government will support those who may have been out of work for years, into full-time employment. Additionally, significant concerns surrounding NHS funding have been raised, while nearly £26 Billion have been committed to the health service over the next two years, only £1.8 Billion has been given since July. Given Labour's commitment to reducing waiting lists promptly, this funding may fall short of delivering the immediate impact the government aims for.
Local authorities will play a pivotal role in delivering the Get Britain Working campaign, with their support being essential to the scheme's success. The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, spoke about the campaign, stating “It’s great to see the Government get serious about transforming the old tick-box approach to job support into one that tackles the root causes of unemployment and poor health and sets people up to succeed. The best way to do that is to join up services in the places where people live, and offer them the kind of positive, personalized support that grows confidence and looks at complex issues in the round.” The localized nature of the plan has been praised by proponents for its hyper focused approach and ability to support jobseekers on a local level. This is controversial however, as localized interventions are inherently reliant on the capabilities of councils and mayors, which could lead to wider inequality if underfunded or mismanaged in less affluent areas.
In education, the Get Britain Working campaign aims to align the nation's skill demands with the training provided to young people. Ex-college principle, Shelagh Legrave, gave me a hugely positive view of the plan. She said “The number of young people not in education, training or work is rising. The Government has published an ambitious plan to try and reverse this trend and support please through apprenticeships, advice, guidance, and access to training. Further Education colleges are key to delivering this plan. Joining up initiatives between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Further Education will be vital to ensure the right opportunities and support are offered and deliverable.” While the plan is certainly ambitious, the biggest effects may not be felt for over a decade, as it will take time to upskill young people and fill the shortages in the labor market. Skepticism remains therefore as to if the government can achieve their goals and demonstrate the success of the campaign before the next election in 2029.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen how effective the Get Britain Working campaign will be. There are some positive signs from sectors, and certainly some welcome changes, reforms, and funding increases have been included in the government’s plan. Some question marks still remain in regard to costs, regional inequalities, and timescales, but on the whole the plan appears comprehensive in its scope and forward thinking in its goals. But with the British public currently feeling the squeeze under the ongoing cost of living crisis, will the benefits to the economy and subsequently the average household arrive quickly enough? Only time will tell.
