Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies made.

There were no items where the press and public should be excluded from the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest made.

RESOLVED: The minutes of the meetings held on the held on the 30^th November 2021 were agreed as a true record with the addition of ‘one footfall camera in the market area”.

There were no public statements made.

The Panel received a report outlining Employment Programme Opportunities following Covid easing.  The Chair thanked officers for their work during the pandemic.

There was a brief overview of the current position, impacts of the pandemic and measures in place. This was followed by a discussion and the following areas were highlighted;

Youth Unemployment – It was believed that Youth Employment in Doncaster was higher than the national average.  The Customer Service Operations Manager from the Department of Work and Pension (DWP) offered to provide confirmation of this outside of the meeting.

Employment – It was noted that research work being undertaken by Sheffield indicated a disconnect between youth unemployment and the availability of jobs.  The care sector was used as an example, where people were not looking to work in those type of roles and therefore that sector was struggling to recruit.  It was commented that there was a great deal of work taking place within the care sector to make those jobs more attractive.  It was added that there were training packages available and a centre of excellence looking at that whole area and that demand in that sector would only continue to grow.

It was continued that there was not the supply of highly skilled people to meet the demand of higher skilled jobs on offer in the higher tier (although supply was meeting demand within the middle tier).  Reference was made to the work also being undertaken through the Council’s investment strategies. The Panel was also informed that during the pandemic a number of people left positions within the hospitality sector and now that sector was also struggling to fill vacancies.

Engagement with Local Businesses – It was explained that in terms of engaging with local businesses coming into Doncaster, the Investment Team would provide the Business Doncaster offer that included premises, supply chain and skills.  It was explained that this would include providing a wraparound team to support that business and consider their employment needs and skills requirements.  Members heard about the local business incentive scheme, where money was made available subject to certain requirements such as the applicant being a resident of Doncaster and unemployed.

Reference was made to the value of Employment Academies, for example, the academy at Unity Development Junction 5 M18.  It was explained that the purpose of employment academies was to maximise impact with the local labour force, which had already proved successful.  It was commented that the challenge was encouraging people to become engaged in the process.

It was commented that this model had also been used when companies downsized.  An example was shared, where all staff of a company that were being made redundant were supported into new jobs.

Localities Model – It was noted there would be an overarching challenge in connecting and influencing local settlements with employment opportunities.  It was added that a further challenge was presented through the Passenger Transport Network.  Members heard that the authority would look to work closely with bus operators through  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

The Senior Governance Officer presented the Overview and Scrutiny work plan.  In terms of the Council’s Forward Plan of Key Decisions there was nothing to highlight to the panel.

There was a brief discussion around the Panel’s workplan, how items were included and number of meetings. 

RESOLVED: that the report be noted and that carbon neutrality be considered for future inclusion on the work plan.