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Incapacity Benefit Plans Are Big News For The Region

Government plans to get one million incapacity benefit claimants back into work is a huge issue for the region, said manufacturers’ organisation EEF Northern director Alan Hall. Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton this week unveiled plans to radically reform the welfare system to get one million incapacity benefit claimants back into work, saving £7bn a year. Commenting on the reforms, Mr Hall said that this issue represents a far greater issue for the North East than for any other English region.

He said: “Too often we forget that work is actually good for people and society as a whole is losing out because of too many people who are inactive. We have to move to a business culture of rehabilitation whereby government encourages employers to adjust their working arrangements wherever possible in order to encourage people back to work. In return, employers must not be wary as, in many cases, employees returning to work can often be accommodated with relatively simple changes to their working arrangements.”

The Northern Way initiative – aimed reducing the £30billion prosperity gap between the North and the rest of the country – also welcomed the Government’s plans to bring more people into employment, with news of how its own efforts to tackle the issue are already showing some success. A key target for the Northern Way is to bring 100,000 people currently on incapacity benefit back into work by 2014. Success is already being reported from a recently launched pilot scheme specifically designed to address the issue.

The Aim High Routeback project was set up with support from the Northern Way in the District of Easington – an area with one of the highest concentrations of claimants in the North East. Claimants can either refer themselves or be referred to the pilot by their GP, nurse counsellor or community advisor and are encouraged to get involved in activities such as further education, training and volunteering to help them regain their confidence and return to work. Despite being established for just two months, the service – which is managed by Easington Primary Care Trust is already exceeding expectations with 36 people coming forward voluntarily to ask for support.

Vince Taylor, Northern Way Director of Implementation, said: “The fact that all of those who have signed up for the project so far have volunteered themselves, as opposed to being referred by a third party, demonstrates that many people will seek help when the right help is available to them.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .