Scheme will draw youth into employment
All council areas have higher rates of people aged between 18 and 24 claiming unemployment related benefits than the national average.Last summer, West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker pledged to work with businesses to create 20,000 new work experience opportunities, training placements and apprenticeships for young people.Last month, YouthPath was set up by charity Movement to Work and the WMCA to help create career opportunities for young people not in education, employment or training."Every person in our region should have the same to access to work opportunities - including people with disabilities or long term health conditions," Mr Parker said."By having the same access to opportunities, everyone has the freedom to make the right choices for them - to help them earn, live independently and improve their health and wellbeing."
Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Live
4 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh woman 'forced to move out' of home after 'mouse crawls up shoulder'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An Edinburgh woman has detailed how her home was overrun with vermin as mice nested in her bed and climbed over her body. Maggie Wolohan, 46, of Clovenstone Gardens, is pleading with her housing association to move her after she came face-to-face with a rodent in her bedroom. Prospect visited her home and fumigated the public stairwell as well as filled holes with steel wool in the flat. But Maggie believes this has not gone far enough and the mice will return. The issue became so bad she claims she had to move in with her brother on Clovenstone Drive for 12 weeks. She has accused her landlord of not taking her concerns seriously while adding the ordeal has caused her stress. 'I've been plagued with mice,' Maggie said. 'It is about the third or fourth year in a row now. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. 'I had to move out and go and live with my brother and only recently moved back in because of it. They had began to nest in my bed. 'We put traps down but it did not work and contacted Prospect who sent a man out. He was lovely and filled the holes he could see with steel wool but they didn't fumigate my flat. 'Prospect fumigated the stair but the problem is the mice are in the flats. Back in May I was sat in my bed, playing a game on my phone, when a mouse had crawled up from the bed, onto my arm and up my shoulder - I s**t myself. 'That night I moved out. I was at my brother's for 12 weeks and it was really disruptive as I suffer from epilepsy. 'I've had to get rid of my bed and all the stuff underneath it and have not been compensated. All I got was an advance on my Universal Credit and I have to pay that back. 'They will come back because my flat was not fumigated and I've found more holes in my bathroom. I don't feel like Prospect have taken me seriously enough. 'This has really triggered my health and stressed me right out.' Maggie's brother, Duncan Wolohan, 53, of Clovenstone Drive, has also experienced his own problem with vermin. He and his wife claim to have been kept up at night by the sound of scurrying rats behind their bedroom wall. 'We noticed the rats a couple of years ago,' he said. 'We think they have come in through a hole in the back or are coming down from the roof. 'My wife can hear them scurrying up and down but to be honest we have not heard them for a few weeks. She could hear them in the walls in our bedroom at night, it was this scratching noise. 'We complained about the issue and they said they found holes but they are worried they are digging under the ground to get into the block. Other people a couple of blocks down are definitely worse affected. 'I think Prospect have done as much as they can, they can only fill the holes they see. They've also been up in the attic to see what was up there.' Despite Duncan feeling the issue may have been resolved, his wife had other thoughts. She believes the rats may be 'hibernating' and will return when the weather becomes colder. 'At the beginning when we heard them, Prospect seemed uninterested,' she said. 'That was until they got so many calls last year to do something about the rats. . 'Pest control said they were digging underneath the home. I think more traps should be laid as they will come back. I want a proper investigation into what is causing them.' Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox Prospect said they have notified their team about the issues and will reach out to the impacted residents.
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
c14e81r8e85o (GIF Image, 1 × 1 pixels)
Malia Carty BBC News, Nottingham Keith Williams Keith Williams worked for 21 years before losing his last job in 2022 "If it wasn't for food banks, I'd struggle to get any sort of food. I'd starve." Keith Williams says living on a monthly universal credit (UC) benefit payment of £368 is "a constant battle" and the money "just isn't enough" and usually lasts about a week. "Running out of food feels awful, you feel like you're letting people down," adds Keith, from Radford in Nottingham. A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) outlined measures taken to support households on UC, including extending the Household Support Fund and child poverty taskforce. UC is a single benefit payment for working-age people. It was introduced to replace a range of different benefits for unemployed and low-paid people. There were 7.9 million people on UC in June in England, Scotland and Wales, according to official government statistics, the highest level since its introduction in 2013. 'I paid my taxes' For Keith, he gets help at the non-profit charity SFiCE's social cafe and food bank in Nottingham, which provides free meals to homeless and vulnerable people in the city. The 42-year-old worked for 21 years before losing his last job in 2022 and has since struggled to find employment. "After paying into the system for so long, Universal Credit feels like a slap in the face," he added. "People will say you should be happy because you're getting money for nothing but I'm not, I paid taxes for 20 years, I deserve more." John Lamb/Getty A study by the University of Nottingham found 70% of people on UC were skipping meals or going entire days without eating and losing weight A UK-wide study by the University of Nottingham found that 70% of people on UC were skipping meals or going entire days without eating and losing weight. Simon Welham, associate professor in human nutrition at the university, told the BBC that he originally began the study to understand what kinds of foods people on UC were eating and how much. He realised the participants receiving benefits struggled to access proper nutrition, including consuming vitamins like vitamin A, iron, zinc, magnesium and selenium. Of the participants in receipt of UC, 20% did not eat vegetables, he said. "They couldn't come close to achieving a normal standard of living," said Mr Welham. "We saw the kind of nutrient deficiencies that you see in developing countries and it seems this was driven solely by people's financial capabilities," he added. Mr Welham said people on low incomes were often perceived to consume unhealthy foods at a higher rate but he "didn't see that so much". However, he noticed those participants had an "over reliance" on staple foods like bread as they are "cheap and filling". "From the kind of things we're seeing in our study and studies from across the country, I can't see how anyone would willingly choose to be on Universal Credit," Mr Welham said, addressing the stigma of benefit recipients. SFiCE "Without food banks, I'd probably go two to three days a week without eating," says Ashley Hetfield Ashley Hetfield, from Hyson Green, who also attends SFiCE's weekly meal service, said relying on benefits had a detrimental effect on his mental health. He said he had tried to stay positive and optimistic, but "living on a fifth of what [he] used to get when [he was] working" affected him. "You can't expect people to be able to live properly on £400 a month, if they're paying energy bills, food and rent," said Mr Hetfield. The 34-year-old said that he usually ate at the social cafe, but in the past, he had gone without food "to protect [his] pride". "When you're on Universal Credit, you have to become accustomed to living with nothing," he added. The Open Kitchen has multiple locations, in Nottingham, Manchester and Hounslow The Open Kitchen, another social cafe in Nottingham, said about a quarter of the people it saw each day received UC. Cordinator Imran Khan said before the cost of living crisis, he used to only serve about 20 to 30 people a day. Since April 2022, that number had increased to 120 to 130 people each day, he said. "It's not fair for anyone to go through something like this," he added. The standard UC allowance will be increasing by £7 a week in April 2026. However, Mr Khan believes it is not enough to prevent the current level of food insecurity among people on UC. "It's not going to get anyone very far, is it? "It's nothing, half-way through the month people tell me, they've run out of food, gas and electric," he added. A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said: "No-one should be living in poverty. That's why we've extended the Household Support Fund and child poverty taskforce to support families and children. "Alongside this, we've increased the National Living Wage and are helping over one million households by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions." Related internet links
Powys County Times
05-08-2025
- Powys County Times
Powys council urges hundreds to check PIP eligibility
Hundreds of adults in Powys could be missing out on financial support. Powys County Council believes more than 700 people with a disability or long-term health condition may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) but are not currently claiming it. Cllr Matthew Dorrance, deputy leader and cabinet member for a Fairer Powys, said: "If you have a long-term health condition, or disability, and need help with everyday tasks, or with getting around, then you could be eligible for PIP. "We are here to help, if needed, and want to make sure that everyone is receiving all the financial help they are entitled to, especially households with children. "More than 200 of these letters will be going to parents, or other adults who are looking after a child in Powys." The council identified the individuals using data analytics and will write to them over the coming weeks to encourage them to check their eligibility for PIP. Eligible individuals could receive several thousand pounds extra per year. Those identified are already receiving Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and are classified as having Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity (LCWRA), but are not currently claiming PIP. PIP is available to people who have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and who struggle with everyday tasks or mobility. The council's letter explains the benefits and offers support with the application process. To support the effort, Powys County Council has invested in the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT), an intelligent data analytics platform designed to identify those most in need. Cllr Dorrance said: "The LIFT platform should help us target our help where it's most needed." This follows action taken in June, when the council wrote to nearly 900 households believed to be struggling financially, offering support. Those households were invited to access free and confidential help, including advice on managing household bills, energy costs, benefits, budgeting, and debt. This support remains available to anyone in Powys facing financial difficulties. The council's trained advisors can provide support online, by phone, in person at a council office, in the community, or at people's homes. Council tenants can get help by calling 01597 827464, emailing fsogroup@ or visiting
