Kickstart, the Government’s flagship employment support scheme for young people, has failed to support as many jobseekers in Yorkshire and The Humber as was promised.
The latest figures on performance of the programme show that by December 2021, only 9,020 had been started in Yorkshire and The Humber, 11,146 fewer than should have launched in the region.
The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Thérèse Coffey, set a target of 250,00 jobs created through Kickstart nationally.
Had the scheme been successful, this would have included around 20,166 new local jobs, making a big difference to young people both in Barnsley and the wider Yorkshire region.
Instead, as the scheme closes to new applicants, the Tories are set to miss their national 250,000 target by 55 per cent.
Meanwhile, the number of young people on Universal Credit has nearly doubled since the start of the pandemic, up from 450,000 in January 2020 to nearly 840,000.
Ms Peacock commented:
‘After almost 2 years of disruption to their lives, it is vital that good local jobs are created for talented young people in Barnsley, and across Yorkshire. Not only is the failure of the Government’s Kickstart scheme a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money, it’s also a waste of potential in these young people who have missed out.
‘Young people in Barnsley deserve the opportunities that a good job and fair pay provides. Through our jobs promise, and our plan to buy, make and sell more in Britain, Labour would make a real difference to young people in Barnsley and bring to an end this decade of Tory-backed disappointment.’
Jonathan Ashworth, Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said:
“The government’s employment policies are failing to rebalance the economy, tackle economic insecurity and their Kickstart work programme has created nowhere near the 250,000 opportunities promised even though employers are desperate to get help finding staff. The Tories are doing nothing for young people in need of urgent jobs support.
“Eleven years of Tory economic failure has led to an explosion of in-work poverty and now families face a punishing triple-whammy of rising heating bills, rising prices in the shops and higher taxes. Yet again, it’s working people being hammered under the Tories.