Further to minute 24 (5 September 2012), the Interim Strategic Director Regeneration and Environment provided Members with an overview of the scale of youth unemployment locally and current initiatives available to support young people into employment. He commented that Wirral had the lowest rate of Jobseekers Allowance claimants in the Liverpool City Region, the second lowest rate for 18-24 year olds and had outperformed regional and national averages for the reduction in numbers over the last year. The comparative good performance could be attributed to a multitude of factors and he commented that during the period, notable employment led regeneration projects had come to fruition, including the £60m mixed use development in New Brighton, which created 700 jobs across the construction and end user phases.

The Interim Strategic Director provided details of the scale of youth unemployment in Wirral and outlined the impact of Government policy changes on the recorded number and claim duration of 18-24 year olds in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance. He set out also the range of national, Liverpool City Region and Wirral Council interventions that were in place to support young people in Wirral into employment which, combined, had contributed to mitigating the effects of the overall economy on youth unemployment locally.

Resolved – That the report be noted and a further update be presented in six months.