Thousands of sick or disabled people will be helped into good, secure jobs following a major expansion of tailored employment support announced by the Department for Work and Pensions today [Thursday 04 September]
- Hundreds of thousands of sick and disabled people will now get the personalised support they need to find good, secure jobs thanks to a major expansion of specialist employment support.
- New funding will be delivered to fifteen areas across England as part of the Connect to Work programme which helps to break down barriers to opportunity.
- Comes as part of £3.8 billion employment support package for sick or disabled people, unlocking work and boosting living standards as part of the Plan for Change.
A new £338 million investment into the Connect to Work programme will deliver localised, tailored support to over 85,000 people who are sick, disabled or face complex barriers to work in 15 areas across England.
The scheme provides intensive, personalised help including individual coaching from employment specialists, job matching services, and ongoing support for both participants and employers to ensure sustainable employment outcomes.
In all around 300,000 people across all of England and Wales are set to benefit over the next five years. To access support, sick and disabled people and those facing complex barriers to work can self-refer or they can be referred through various routes including healthcare professionals, local authorities, and voluntary sector partners.
With 2.8 million people out of work due to ill-health - one of the highest rates in the G7 - it's part of the Government's plan to get Britain working again and deliver an 80% employment rate by overhauling jobcentres, tackling economic inactivity through local plans, and delivering a Youth Guarantee so every young person is either earning or learning.
Among those out of work, over one in four cite sickness as a barrier - more than double the 2012 figure of one in ten - highlighting the urgent need for tailored employment support that removes barriers faced by disabled people and those with health conditions.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said:
For too long, millions of people have been denied the support they need to get back to health and back to work.
It's bad for their living standards, it's bad for their families, and it's bad for the economy.
That's why we're taking decisive action by investing millions of pounds so sick or disabled people can overcome the barriers they face and move out of poverty and into good, secure jobs as part of our Plan for Change.
The expansion is backed by a £338 million cash injection with the largest interventions announced today including:
- Up to £71.9 million for Central London Forward - supporting 16,800 people across the City of London.
- Up to £47.1 million for the Local London Sub-Regional partnership - providing tailored support to 12,350 people across nine boroughs in east and outer London.
- Up to £35.3 million for South Yorkshire - helping 9,950 participants across Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, and Doncaster into work.
- Up to £30.7 million for Greater Essex - supporting 7,800 people across Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock, and Essex into good jobs.
South Yorkshire's Mayor Oliver Coppard said:
I want South Yorkshire to be a place where we all thrive. Where poor health doesn't hold us back. And work plays a huge part. It's not just about wages - it's about dignity, pride, and the security that comes from knowing you can support yourself and your family.
Right now, more than 140,000 people across South Yorkshire aren't in work. But many of those people desperately want to have a job, want to provide for their families, and contribute to the future of our communities. Which is why I'm proud that South Yorkshire is one of the areas across England and Wales delivering Connect to Work.
It's a programme designed to help those with disabilities, long-term health conditions, or from disadvantaged backgrounds, into good, secure jobs. And I'm even prouder that Connect to Work is part of the national Pathways to Work project, which we pioneered right here in South Yorkshire.
South Yorkshire's at the forefront of tackling these challenges nationally, and we're increasingly a model for other places across the country.
Connect to Work is already transforming lives across England, with early delivery areas demonstrating the real difference targeted employment support can make.
In West London, where £42.8 million was allocated earlier this year to support 10,800 people, participants are already finding work with the help of specialist coaches who understand the complex barriers they face.
Awais Ashraf, a Connect to Work participant in West London, said:
My health suffered with the loss of a family member, which led me into a period of depression and anxiety, and meant I lost my employment just under two years ago.
My JCP Workcoach referred me to Connect to Work. I received a blend of support - from advice and tools in self-managing my health condition to identifying what skills I already had and could be transferred to another role.
I am now working as a Teaching Assistant & knowing I have my Employment Specialist supporting me while I am in work is also a great reassurance.
Cllr Tom Hunt, Chair of the LGA's Inclusive Growth Committee, said:
The Government's decision to provide grant funding to councils and mayoral areas to deliver Connect to Work is a positive step. Evidence shows that councils are best placed to understand and respond to the needs of their communities, and the LGA has long called for a more local approach to helping people back into employment.
Connect to Work will enable councils and mayors, working with partners, to design tailored support for people who are currently out of the labour market due to health conditions, disability, or complex needs. This not only facilitates supporting people move closer to work but also helps reduce wider social and financial pressures on communities and services, which helps reduce long-term welfare dependency, and creates stronger and more productive, resilient local economies.
Today's announcement comes less than 24 hours after the Universal Credit Bill received Royal Assent.
Coming into force in April next year, it will make the welfare system fairer by rebalancing Universal Credit to reduce the incentives that discourage work and fuel inactivity. It will also increase the rate of the standard allowance of Universal Credit, for around four million households, putting an extra £725 in their pockets by 2030.
The new funding also builds on WorkWell, a joint programme by DWP and DHSC, which went live in October last year, backed by £64m funding. It is transforming how people with health conditions are supported back into work through better integration between health services and employment support and will reach 56,000 people across the 15 pilot sites by Spring 2026.
This approach prevents people from falling out of work, transforming employment services, and providing specialist support to help the most disadvantaged back into good jobs.
Additional Information
| Connect to Work delivery area | Lead Authority (Accountable Body) | Lead and partner local authorities | Total funding agreed (up to and rounded) | Total volumes supported (rounded) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central London Forward | City of London on behalf of the Sub-Regional Partnership | Camden, City of London, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Westminster | £71.9m | 16800 |
| Greater Essex | Essex County Council | Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, Thurrock Council, Essex County Council | £30.7m | 7800 |
| Hampshire | Hampshire County Council | N/A | £18.7m | 4800 |
| Hereford, Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin | Shropshire Council | Shropshire Council, Hereford County Council, Telford and Wrekin Council | £10.7m | 2650 |
| Greater Lincolnshire | Lincolnshire County Council | Lincolnshire County Council, North East Lincolnshire Council | £23.4m | 6000 people |
| Local London | Redbridge LB - on behalf of the Local London Sub-regional Partnership | Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Havering, Newham, Enfield, Redbridge, Waltham Forest | £47.1m | 12,350 |
| Norfolk | Norfolk County Council | N/A | £16.5m | 4000 |
| Solent | Portsmouth City Council | Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council, Isle of Wight Council | £11.5m | 3600 |
| South London Partnership | Croydon Council on behalf of the South London Partnership Sub-Regional Partnership | Croydon, Kingston Upon Thames, Merton, Richmond Upon Thames, Sutton | £18.4m | 4800 |
| South Yorkshire | South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority | Sheffield City Council, Rotherham Borough Council, Barnsley Borough Council, Doncaster Borough Council | £35.3m | 9950 |
| Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent | Staffordshire County Council | Staffordshire County Council, Stoke on Trent City Council | £19m | 5250 |
| Suffolk | Suffolk County Council | N/A | £9.5m | 2700 |
| Surrey | Surrey County Council | N/A | £9.8m | 2500 |
| Warwickshire | Warwickshire County Council | N/A | £8.2m | 2050 |
| Worcestershire | Worcestershire County Council | N/A | £7.7m | 2000 |
On Universal Credit (UC) Act:
The Universal Credit Standard allowance is set to be around £250 higher in 2029/30 for a single adult aged 25 or over than an inflation only increase.
The UC Act legislates for:
- Rebalancing of UC health and standard elements including reducing the health top-up for new claims to £50 per week from April 2026.
- Ensure that all existing recipients of the UC health element - and any new claimant meeting the Severe Conditions Criteria and/or that has their claim considered under the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) - will receive the higher UC health payment from April 2026.
- Increasing the UC standard allowance above inflation for the next four years - worth an estimated £725 in cash terms by 2029/30 for a single adult aged 25 or over.
- Exemptions from reassessment for those with the most severe, lifelong conditions.
- Make consequential changes to the Income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA-IR) to ensure that any people still in receipt of ESA-IR who move to UC after April 2026 will receive an award that aims to maintain parity with an equivalent UC award.
