CORNWALL Council is set to spend £1.89 million on training and skills development for people who are out of work.

The authority’s Cabinet yesterday agreed to invest in a new Work and Health project which is aimed at people who are out of work or long-term sick.

A report to the Cabinet said that statistics showed that 28.3 per cent of people aged 16 to 64 in Cornwall are “economically inactive and long term sick”. The council says this is “much higher” than elsewhere, with the South West recording 20.7 per cent and Great Britain 22.1 per cent.

Figures also show that 6.7 per cent of the 16 to 64 population in Cornwall are claiming Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and Incapacity Benefit (IB) – that is compared to 5.5 per cent in the South West and 6.1 per cent in GB.

To help tackle this work is being done to improve access to training, skills and employment opportunities among those affected.

This includes helping people to get onto apprenticeship schemes, improving their training and skills and providing careers advice and support.

The £1.891m of match funding being provided by the council will go to Cornwall Development Company which s bidding for funding from the European Social Fund (ESF) for the project.

Council departments and NHS services are all involved in delivering the programme which is aiming to benefit 5,500 people through employment and skills support.

The council is also providing £331,000 for an in-work poverty programme which is also bidding for ESF money.

This scheme is aiming to help those who are in work but are still struggling to make ends meet.

The report to Cabinet highlighted that research in 2016 showed that the average annual earnings for all employees in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly was £17,873 – this represents 77 per cent of the UK average of £23,099.

It adds: “The average household in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has higher costs compared to the national average, including water and sewerage, energy, fuel, transport and housing. High household costs with low average earnings leads to issues of debt and financial instability, with high levels of deprivation in some areas.”

The report goes on to highlight that research found that 26 per cent of households in Cornwall – 59,000 – are “at risk of poverty”. This puts Cornwall in the worst five per cent of areas in the UK.

And child poverty levels in Cornwall are said to be “static” with 18 per cent of all children under 19 considered to be in poverty.

The report notes that all of these factors can contribute to stress and mental health related illnesses.

Under the new scheme work will be done to help those suffering from in-work poverty by helping to increase the earning potential of participants and raising average salaries in Cornwall.

The Cabinet unanimously agreed to support the funding of the two schemes from the council’s economic development match funding reserve.