Media centre

27 July 2006 - Cities strategy: 13 successful areas announced

In a radical overhaul of how the Welfare State provides services, Secretary of State John Hutton announced the names of the 13 successful cities and towns that will be given greater freedom to provide individually tailored programmes and solutions to local problems.

The successful areas granted Cities Strategy pathfinder status submitted plans to pool resources and expertise in order to tackle the specific problems that have stopped people from getting into work in that area. The government is providing £5 million to get the plans off the ground and areas, that are successful in meeting targets agreed with government, will be eligible for additional funding that can be re-invested into local services and priorities.

The successful cities and towns, which join two London pathfinders announced earlier this year, are:

Speaking in Nottingham, John Hutton said:

“Local people know what will work best to tackle the particular problems in their area – that is why we want to give cities more freedom to develop their own plans helping people off benefit dependency and into work.
“We are replacing the old one-size-fits-all welfare state that was run entirely from Whitehall, with tailored help for individuals and local initiatives. Harnessing the leadership our cities are providing will be a key part of this in years to come.
“Helping people off benefit and into work helps families out of poverty, boosts the local economy and provides savings for taxpayers. We want cities who help more people into work to share in this success, through additional funding that allows them to invest further in the local community.”

The successful cities will establish consortia made up of government agencies providers, local government, the private and voluntary sector who will now start developing the delivery plans for agreement with the department by autumn.

Delivery plans will focus, in particular, on individuals who are currently farthest from the support available from the welfare state. The pattern of benefit receipt and disadvantage will vary from area to area, but this is likely to include incapacity benefit claimants, lone parents, older people and those from ethnic minority groups.

It is expected that consortia will join up the work of Jobcentre Plus and Learning Skills Council. To ensure that the access to support is less complicated for individuals. Consortia will also be expected to ensure that the provision available better meets the needs of local employers offering a clearer route from training and skills development to the workplace.

Speaking in Glasgow, Minister for Welfare Reform, Jim Murphy said:

“We want to develop a new partnership between central government and the people who are delivering services on the ground. We think that local areas will be able to deliver more if they can combine their efforts behind shared priorities, and are given more freedom to try new ideas and tailor services to local needs.
“The reforms we are driving forward for the welfare state are about giving people the power to come up with their own solutions to their specific problems or issues and the Cities Strategy will be an exciting look at what can be achieved in this respect.
“We want to help as many people as possible get off a life on benefits and get into the workplace. Cities Strategy and the Welfare Reform Bill will see a fundamental shift in the way we help our citizens by providing services that meet individuals’ needs and not the other way round.”

The department will speak to those unsuccessful bids to discuss what other support could be made available locally to them.

Notes for Editors

  1. Cities were invited to submit expressions of interest in the Cities Strategy following a summit May.
  2. Details on the Government’s plans for Welfare Reform can be found here: www.dwp.gov.uk/aboutus/welfarereform


Media enquiries

Press office: 020 7238 0866
Out of hours: 07659 108 883
Textphone: 020 7238 0788
Public enquiries: 020 7712 2171

top of page