Andy Burnham calls on Government to fund new plan to tackle unemployment in Manchester

ITV News' Sam Taylor spoke to Andy Burnham about his new plan, as well as those who have relied on homeless charity Loaves and Fishes.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester has presented a "revolutionary" proposal to increase employment to the Government.

On a visit to Loaves and Fishes, a homeless charity in Salford, Mayor Andy Burnham asked Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall for full control over employment funding to better support those looking for work.

The "Live Well" plan proposed by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority would see local services built in every Greater Manchester borough. Loaves and Fishes was highlighted by the Metro Mayor as an example of what these centres could look like.

The charity helps visitors tackle day to day issues, such as mental health worries and poor quality housing, while also providing valuable employment skills.

When John Latham first visited Loaves and Fishes in 2018, they helped him tackle his decades-long drug addiction and get off of the streets.

He said: "I’d lost all my family members, I’d lost all my friendships. I literally had no one.

"I ended up sleeping on the floor of a church around the corner. When I was there I got introduced to Loaves and Fishes, and it became a safe space to be honest with you.

"They’d offer you a shower, they’d wash your clothes and give you some food. And more importantly it made you feel more human."

Six years on, John works full time supporting people who went through similar situations.

He said: "It took a little bit of that pain away. Waking up on that church floor, you feel dirty. You feel horrible… But this place just gave me that extra day when I didn’t want to kill myself. It probably saved my life."

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority hopes the Live Well plan could see similar centres provide the same support across the city region with direct funding supplied by the Government.

Andy Burnham said: "We’ve got a Jobcentre over the road, and I’m not criticising the staff but they often can’t always offer people what they need.

"We’re saying to the Secretary of State is let’s go about this in a very different way. Let’s root that employment support budget through our local community organisations like Loaves and Fishes."

The Government has set a target of having 80% of people over the age of 16 in full time employment. The Metro Mayor argues allowing Greater Manchester to take control of its employment funding will help them reach that target.

"We are going to make a commitment to the Government that we will get more people back into work through that approach rather than the ‘trip you up, computer says no approach’ that sometimes people feel they get."

Andy Burnham estimates that the new approach would get up to 150,000 people back into work over the next five years, effectively cutting unemployment by a third in Greater Manchester.

He said: "It's sort of a stick my neck out moment really, but I am going to say that."

It's now up to the Government to approve the GMCA's plan, which would then be included in Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves' autumn budget.

Beyond the improvement of employment figures, John hopes more money for services like Loaves and Fishes could help more people get out of difficult situations.

He said: "I think if this was implemented in other places it would help a lot of people. It’s helped me and I’m guessing it’s helped quite a few others.

"You’ll find when people come here and they get the help and support they need, they can go off and actually live their life."

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