'We need the talent that's being wasted'

REGIONAL MAYOR HIGHLIGHTS PLAN FOR GROWTH AND JOBS

- By JOSEPH CONNOLLY

EAST Midlands Mayor Claire Ward says there is "wasted talent" among Nottinghamshire's near-30% of people currently not in work.

Statistics from late 2023 show that up to a third of the county is "economically inactive" - meaning they are unemployed and not actively looking for a job.

And the Labour mayor says that the region needs many of those who fall in the category days after she unveiled the 10-year East Midlands Growth Plan, which, among other things, aims to see an extra 60,000 people in work over the next decade.

"It's nearly 30% of the community in some parts that are economically inactive," said the Mayor.

"That's a lot of people. And that's not necessarily pensioners or people who have retired. That's people of working age who could and maybe should be working.

"Now there's a range of issues. Some people can't work full time.

"They might not have the right skills to get into the workforce, or have health issues, or have been out of work for a long time, for a range of different reasons. They might be on welfare and can't see how to get from here to there."

The Mayor highlighted the Government's Connect To Work programme, for which a £338 million investment was announced last month.