Report

Guarantee of potential

This report from UK think tank Localis argues that local authorities must now lead the response to tackling worklessness.

Tackling worklessness, long a stated goal yet persistently unmet by government, has become a structural crisis demanding locally driven reform. With over nine million economically inactive working-age adults, the challenge stems from overlapping issues: long-term illness, regional inequality, and fragmented support services. Centralised, siloed approaches have proven insufficient.

Guarantee of Potential argues that local authorities, empowered through the Get Britain Working white paper and recent Spending Review, must now lead the response. By devolving funding, aligning employment with health and skills services, and commissioning strategically, councils can build coherent place-responsive systems that make good work accessible and unlock the potential of residents, advancing both economic inclusion and national renewal.