Communities that Work

🌍 Seventh Carbon Budget: Time to Accelerate the Transition 🌍 Last week, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) published its advice on cutting emissions from 2038–2042, outlining 43 priority recommendations to help the UK meet its legally binding target to reduce emissions by 80% by mid-century. The CCC’s message is clear: Government action is needed now to lay the groundwork for a fair, affordable, and effective transition to Net Zero. 🔑 Seven core themes from the report: 1. Cheaper electricity – Incentivise households and businesses through energy bills. 2. Remove barriers – Make it easier to install EV chargers, heat pumps, and connect to the grid. 3. Provide certainty – Give investors and consumers clear timelines and direction. 4. Support low-carbon heating – Especially for low-income households facing upfront costs. 5. Support business – Clarify the balance between market tools (e.g. UK ETS) and state support. 6. Enable a skilled workforce – Prepare workers and communities for green jobs. 7. Engage the public – Provide clear, trusted information about low-carbon choices and benefits. 💡 The transition isn’t just about carbon—it’s about communities, jobs, and long-term opportunity. Social housing and place-based employment support must be part of the solution. 🔗 Read the full CCC report here: https://lnkd.in/eSswkZjr #NetZero #ClimateAction #GreenJobs #LowCarbonEconomy #CarbonBudget #JustTransition #CommunitiesThatWork

🚨 DWP Announces Major Welfare Reforms – Our Response 🚨 Today, the Department for Work and Pensions announced sweeping changes to the UK's welfare system, including cuts to benefits and stricter eligibility for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Universal Credit (UC) health top-ups. At Communities that Work, we believe that employment support must be at the heart of any welfare reform. Our focus remains on ensuring that people in social housing communities have access to meaningful and sustainable employment—and we urge Ministers to fully assess the impact of these proposals, particularly for those furthest from the labour market. 📌 Key concerns & opportunities: 🔹 The Government’s goal of an 80% employment rate is ambitious, and tackling economic inactivity is essential. But we must ensure that disability & out-of-work benefit cuts don’t disproportionately impact those with complex barriers to work. 🔹 The Right to Try Guarantee—which protects individuals moving into work from immediate reassessment—is a welcome step in supporting people to transition into employment with greater confidence. 🔹 The link between work, housing & skills must be strengthened—social housing providers are already delivering effective employment support, as shown in our JobsPlus pilot. 💡 What needs to happen next? The Government must prioritise investment in localised, partnership-led employment support solutions—approaches that are tailored, community-based and long-term. We’ve published our full response on our website. Read it here: [Insert link] #WelfareReform #EmploymentSupport #SocialHousing #DWP #EconomicInactivity #UniversalCredit #RightToTry #CommunitiesThatWork

🏡 Government Responds to LUHC Committee Report on Disabled People in Housing 🏡 The Government has now responded to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee’s May 2024 report on Disabled People in the Housing Sector—with key commitments that will shape future housing policy. 🔹 Accessibility & Inclusive Housing – The Govt will soon set out policies on accessible new homes. 🔹 Affordable Housing Investment – Details of the successor to the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme will be announced in the forthcoming Spending Review. 🔹 Social Housing Commitment – The Govt reaffirmed its pledge to deliver the biggest boost to social & affordable housing in a generation, ensuring secure, quality homes for all. As we anticipate further announcements, it’s critical that housing, employment, and community partners work together to ensure these commitments deliver real impact—particularly for disabled people and those in greatest need. 💡 What do you think of the Government’s response? Let’s discuss! 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/eK4xe-MW #HousingForAll #AccessibleHousing #SocialHousing #LevellingUp #AffordableHomes #Inclusion

🚨 New Employment Support Plans: 1,000 Work Coaches for 65,000 Jobseekers 🚨 On Thursday 6th March, the Government announced plans to enhance employment support, with 1,000 additional work coaches set to be deployed in 2025/26. Their role? To provide intensive, voluntary support for around 65,000 sick and disabled people—helping them move closer to employment in a way that works for them. 🔹 What’s changing? ✅ A greater focus on tackling economic inactivity ✅ More tailored, voluntary employment support ✅ Reprioritisation of work coach time to better assist those with health conditions With economic inactivity remaining a key labour market challenge, this initiative could provide a crucial boost to workforce inclusion. Ensuring the right local partnerships—including social housing providers and employment support services—will be vital to delivering impact at scale. 💡 What do you think of the Government’s approach? Let’s discuss! 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/eN4VTuT3 #EmploymentSupport #Inclusion #Skills #EconomicInactivity #GetBritainWorking #WorkforceDevelopment

📊 UK Labour Market: December 2024 Update 📊 The latest employment data from Learning and Work Institute provides a snapshot of key workforce trends: 🔹 Employment increased by 64,000 in December 2024, reaching 32.29 million 🔹 Economic inactivity fell to 9.29 million, bringing the inactivity rate down to 21.5% 🔹 Unemployment edged up by 42,000, with the rate rising slightly to 4.5% While the overall employment picture is improving, the slight rise in unemployment highlights the ongoing challenges in the labour market. As economic inactivity continues to fall, ensuring inclusive employment opportunities will be critical for sustainable workforce growth. 💡 Want to explore how the UK labour market has changed over the last decade? Check out Learning and Work’s interactive dashboard for insights! 🔗 Explore the data: https://lnkd.in/eMHE8UNT #LabourMarket #Employment #WorkforceTrends #EconomicInactivity #Skills #Jobs #CommunitiesThatWork

🚨 Social Capital 2025: Reinforcing the Bedrock of Public Health 🚨 New research from Demos highlights a powerful yet often overlooked driver of public health: social capital. 🔹 Higher levels of social trust & community participation = better mental & physical health outcomes 🔹 Strong social networks = lower mortality risk & healthier behaviours 🔹 Community-driven initiatives = greater resilience & reduced pressure on healthcare services However, the report also notes the complexities of social capital—highlighting that some close-knit communities may reinforce negative behaviours. The key takeaway? Investing in local social infrastructure can help nurture positive social ties, build resilience, and support long-term well-being. To truly improve public health, we must move beyond reactive healthcare models and towards prevention-focused strategies that strengthen communities and social bonds. At Communities that Work, we recognise the vital role housing, employment, and local partnerships play in building healthier, more connected communities. 💡 A whole-of-society approach is needed—let’s work together to put social capital at the heart of public health policy. 🔗 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eGv-UUnV #PublicHealth #SocialCapital #Wellbeing #CommunityHealth #PreventionMatters #SocialInfrastructure

🚨 New Procurement Rules: A Boost for SMEs, Jobs & Local Growth 🚨 Last week, the UK Government published its National Procurement Policy Statement, setting out major reforms to ensure public spending supports local economies, SMEs, and innovation. These changes will take effect alongside the Procurement Act 2023 from 24th February 2025. 🔹 Key Highlights: ✔️ SME & VCSE procurement targets – From April 2025 (SMEs) & April 2026 (VCSEs), public bodies must set three-year targets for direct spend & report annually. ✔️ Local job creation – Winning contractors must advertise vacancies in Jobcentres to support employment efforts. ✔️ Faster payments – Smaller suppliers in the supply chain will benefit from 30-day payment spot checks. ✔️ Boosting procurement innovation – A new Commercial Innovation Hub will test procurement & service design improvements. ✔️ Improved transparency – A new online register will increase visibility of frameworks & pricing. ✔️ AI-powered procurement – New digital tools to cut red tape & improve procurement efficiency. ✔️ Future reforms – The Govt will consult on further changes to support small businesses & economic growth. At Communities that Work, we recognise the huge potential of these reforms to drive job creation, economic inclusion, and opportunities for SMEs & VCSEs—many of whom work within social housing & employment support. 💡 We’ll be monitoring these changes closely & engaging with our members on how social housing can play a leading role in delivering local economic growth. 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/eBvcb6g3 Written ministerial statement: https://lnkd.in/eT7T7XBp #Procurement #PublicSector #GetBritainWorking #SMEs #VCSEs #EmploymentSupport

🚨 Getting Britain Working: The Mayfield Review 🚨 At Communities that Work, we’re engaging with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) following our joint Ministerial meeting in December to ensure that social housing & employment partnerships help shape the Mayfield Review. Led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, the review will: 🔹 Investigate the factors behind rising economic inactivity 🔹 Explore how the government & employers can work together to turn this around 🔹 Identify measures to help ill & disabled people enter & stay in work With significant health & disability benefit reforms expected this Spring, the findings will be crucial. We’ve offered to connect our members directly to the review, ensuring social landlords & employment partners play an active role in shaping solutions. 💡 We’ll share opportunities for engagement with our members as they emerge—stay tuned! 🔗 Read more about the Mayfield Review, launched 24th Jan: https://lnkd.in/eTm6uV6J 

🚨 Reforming Jobcentres: A Vital Inquiry 🚨 The Work and Pensions Committee has launched an inquiry into Reforming Jobcentres (JCP)—a crucial moment to shape the future of employment support in the UK. At Communities that Work, we know that partnership working is essential for the DWP & devolved authorities to deliver on the ambition set out in #GetBritainWorking. The role of Jobcentres is just one part of the system, but collaboration with social housing will be key to real impact. We’ll be submitting a response, focusing on: 🔹 How Jobcentres can work better with housing & local partners 🔹 Why joined-up services are key to supporting people into work 🔹 The role of social landlords in employment & skills 📅 Submission deadline: Monday 3rd March 🔗 Call for Evidence: https://lnkd.in/e6fG6mtw

🏡 A safe, secure home is the foundation of a thriving life – yet too many families don’t have this stability. IPPR's new report, The Homes that Children Deserve, highlights how the decline in social housing and rise in private renting have led to growing instability for families: 🔹 1 in 5 private rented homes fail basic decency standards 🔹 Overcrowding has increased, harming children's well-being 🔹 The household benefit cap is exacerbating housing insecurity At Communities that Work, we know that stable housing is key to employment, earnings, and opportunity. Our members—social landlords managing 1.6 million homes—are committed to delivering homes that support people to thrive in work and life. Read the full IPPR report here: http://bit.ly/3CW2OuB