Welcome.

This monthly e-shot shares the latest information on Communities that Work, highlights some of our members' outstanding work, and keeps you informed about upcoming events.

This edition reports on JobsPlus gaining further parliamentary support and highlights that funding bids are now open for the young people's Jobs Guarantee. We focus our Spotlight on the brilliant Magenta Living, Wirral's largest social landlord and proud leader of the JobsPlus pilot site there.

Communities that Work parliamentary drop-in

Communities that Work recently hosted a parliamentary drop-in at Portcullis House, welcoming MPs and parliamentary staff to discuss the impact of the JobsPlus programme. The event provided an opportunity to showcase the success of JobsPlus to date and to make the case for continued funding and national rollout, ensuring more communities across the country can benefit from this proven, community-led approach to employment support.

The drop-in was kindly sponsored by Kevin McKenna MP, the constituency MP for the Swale JobsPlus site. MPs in attendance included Helen Whately, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; Patrick Hurley MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Social, Co-operative and Community Economy; and Lee Barron MP, Chair of the APPG on Modernising Employment.

In total, eleven MPs attended the event, alongside staff from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade's office, who joined the discussion to hear more about JobsPlus and feed insights back to Peter Kyle. The strong turnout and engagement underlined the growing cross-party interest in JobsPlus and the role of local, trusted support in helping people into sustainable work.

Our Managing Director, Lynsey Sweeney, has published an important opinion piece on Politics.co.uk on the urgent need to prioritise local employment solutions to get more people into work. In "Getting people back into work across local communities: why it is vital JobsPlus continues," Lynsey highlights the success of the JobsPlus pilot - a community-led employment support model that places trusted, on-the-ground help in social housing neighbourhoods, combining skills support, employer links and financial incentives.

Lynsey sets out how JobsPlus has already engaged more than 1,000 residents and supported over 270 into sustainable work, tackling barriers many employment schemes have failed to reach. She argues that long-term funding is essential if this proven model is to continue and expand, helping deliver the Government's ambition of rising employment rates - especially for people furthest from the labour market.

We've got a great article below from the team at Magenta Living, demonstrating how local social housing-led partnerships across a community can make a lasting difference. We're proud to count Magenta Living among our JobsPlus pilot site leaders, and this article focuses on that experience through the lens of the partnership.

JobsPlus Local Governance Board

Jamie Martin, Social Impact Lead, Magenta Living

Here, at Magenta, we're very aware of the need for good governance of projects like our Jobs Plus project at Bidston Rise. The Local Governance Board that oversees the project has been cited as a model of good practice in governance and in this article I'd like to focus on a few of the factors we considered as we established our governance approach. I've then invited some of the members to give their perspectives.

Our project is founded on PARTNERSHIPS, so it was pretty logical that we invited a number of key partners to come together to form the initial group. Bringing a number of representatives of partner organisations creates diversity within the group and our project, whilst primarily an employment project has touched upon, health and wellbeing, family cohesion, smoking cessation, trauma-informed approaches and digital inclusion, to name just a few elements.

Hand-in-hand with this partnership approach is COLLABORATION. A shared commitment and approach creates an excellent team spirit and there's a real feel-good buzz around the project as we feel the mutual support and shared response to the inevitable challenges we face.

A third key element is PERSPECTIVES. Different points of view have enabled us to be dynamic, responsive and to have tried approaches that are different from the norm. The local community were somewhat hesitant to embrace the project initially but we have built up a level of trust fairly quickly and there is a real spirit of togetherness and shared purpose. Incorporating different views and ways of working has demonstrated we are genuine and determined to bring about positive change.

In the spirit of the project, I asked some of the members of the team to give their perspectives:

Sally Ross, JobsPlus Manager, Magenta Living

As well as a strategic view, our partners in the Local Governance Board are essential to getting the best outcomes for our participants. By working together we are able to provide the holistic, wraparound support that helps to overcome barriers to work. These can include, debt, anxiety, low confidence and family concerns. We have had some big successes by working in partnership with Cradle to Career to support families leading to the parents being in work and the children in school. The increased income and sense of worth from working has reduced stress, improved family life and their mental health and wellbeing.

Adam Costello, MCCC member and Magenta customer

As a member of the Jobs Plus (Bidston Rise Pilot) governance board, it is an immense privilege to see the work that is being done and the results that are being achieved; so much so that I have used my platform as a member of the Magenta Customers and Communities Committee (MCCC), and as a speaker at the Northern Housing Consortium Summit to promote Jobs Plus as widely as possible.

Bidston Rise Jobs Plus is the very embodiment of Pride in Place.

Adrian Jones, Wirral Partnership Manager, DWP

The Jobs Plus Board brings together a varied combination of perspectives, presenting different viewpoints on the challenges and opportunities from angles that wouldn't be possible otherwise. By working together, we create a more effective delivery bringing about potential outcomes, improving wellbeing, strengthening communities, and supporting longterm progression. The Board plays a key role in this and ensures that every partner's contribution is valued so we can drive meaningful, connected, and sustainable results for the local community that it represents. On a personal level I enjoy the commitment of my colleagues on the Board and the proactive, determined approach we have in making this project a success.

Shannon Kaiser, Programme Manager – Community & Services, North Birkenhead Cradle to Career, Right to Succeed

Sitting as a local board member for Jobs Plus in Bidston Rise, you can see the power of bringing a range of partners to the table over a shared vision. Collectively, there is a wealth of knowledge, networks and resources from partners across a range of sectors, including; Community, Youth, Housing and Local Authority. I've seen firsthand how this has enabled the team to support residents beyond just 'employment' to meet their needs and aspirations. The Jobs Plus project and team have seen some strong indicators of success through a truly collaborative approach in the community; an acknowledgement that no complex challenges like these can be solved in isolation.

Summary

Our challenges within the project are shared and this makes them easier to overcome, whilst our successes are also shared and celebrated!

We're more than happy to share our learning and would be more than happy to advise anyone looking to strengthen project governance. 

Many thanks to the team and whole community at Bidston Rise with Magenta Living; you are making a massive contribution to your neighbourhood.

Jobs Guarantee - GOV.UK

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has opened the grant application window for Phase One of the Jobs Guarantee Scheme, marking a major milestone in delivering the Government's expanded Youth Guarantee.

The Jobs Guarantee aims to break the cycle of long-term unemployment by funding fully subsidised, six-month paid jobs for eligible 18–21-year-olds who have been claiming Universal Credit and have been out of work for 18 months.

A wide range of organisations are encouraged to apply. Successful delivery partners will provide both paid job opportunities and tailored wraparound support, including employability and in-work skills development. Applicants will need to demonstrate strong knowledge of local labour markets and clear plans for matching young people to suitable roles.

Expansion of support scheme to help thousands of people back into work - GOV.UK

The Department for Work and Pensions has announced a major expansion of the WorkWell support scheme, designed to help people with health conditions stay in or return to work. From a successful pilot that supported more than 25,000 people, the programme will now be rolled out across all of England—reaching up to 250,000 more individuals over the next three years.

WorkWell provides personalised, early intervention tailored to individual health needs, bringing together employment support with services such as physiotherapy, counselling, workplace adjustments and more. The initiative is part of the Government's wider Plan for Change, aiming to break down barriers to work, boost living standards, and ease pressures on the NHS by helping people stay well and employed.

Families to save in biggest home upgrade plan in British history - GOV.UK

The Government has launched a landmark £15 billion Warm Homes Plan, the largest home upgrade programme in British history, aimed at cutting energy bills and tackling fuel poverty for millions of families across the UK.

Under the plan, up to 5 million homes will receive energy-saving upgrades such as solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and improved insulation, helping households save hundreds of pounds on energy bills and providing support tailored to individual needs.

The role of Mayoral Development Corporations in delivering investment and regeneration 

Centre for Cities, 25 February

As more places announce their intention to establish mayoral development corporations, join Centre for Cities for a panel discussion featuring former Chief Executive of Old Oak Park Royal Development Corporation David Lunts. Discussion will cover reflections on Old Oak Park Royal and what it achieved, what other places can learn from this, and why other places such as Stockport are now on the way to becoming mayoral development corporations.