Newham says the money will be used to help groups disproportionately affected by economic inactivity, including “single parents, individuals with long-term health conditions, and residents aged 50+”, reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter

A government grant of almost £900,000 will help unemployed people into work, Newham Council has said.

The council agreed to accept a £882,280 grant as part of the government’s “economically inactive trailblazers” programme last week.

Newham says the money will be used to help “groups disproportionately affected by economic inactivity, including single parents, individuals with long-term health conditions, and residents aged 50+”.

26% of working age people in Newham are “economically inactive” compared to the national average of 21%.

According to the council, the money will fund a programme through its Our Newham service, which already offers help finding jobs and training, in three strands.

The first strand will involve creating a new “digital platform” using AI to find people jobs. It will also involve employment rights training, financial advice and skills development.

The second strand will aim at helping unemployed people to become self-employed.

Meanwhile, the third will support people to access childcare support. People will also be able to get funding “to support with any transition into employment”.

Senior council bosses formally agreed to accept the funding on Monday, 22nd December. It will come via the Local London consortium of councils in east and south east London, and has to be spent by March 2026.

Local London has set the council targets for how many people it has to try and help using the grant.

These include making sure 34 people are in work following support, and 34 searching for jobs. Targets also include 34 business plans created, and 45 people “reporting increased employability”.

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