Greenwich families get employment scheme

Families in the London borough of Greenwich suffering from the dire employment situation will be relieved to hear the council has devised a solution to help them find work, allowing them to remain in the area where their children attend school and they have long-established ties.

According to councillor Chris Roberts, leader of the Royal borough of Greenwich, the innovative scheme will launch this month with 31 recruits set to take up full or part-time positions at or above the London living wage.

The participants stood to lose £3,000 per week collectively under the new benefit changes, which prompted the introduction of the scheme.

"The development of this scheme demonstrates very clearly that the majority of people are desperately keen to get back into work," Mr Roberts said.

"Far from the media caricature, we are dealing with parents who love their children and want to get off benefits and into work. All they need is the opportunity to do so."

He added that he would like to congratulate and welcome the participants to the initiative and emphasised the scheme is about supporting families in need.

Greenwich has an excellent record for helping people get back into work with their local skills. The council has already helped more than 12,000 residents back into employment via its award-winning local labour initiative.

By keeping local families in the borough, Mr Roberts claims, the district will be able to maintain its excellent education standards and maintain Greenwich's reputation as an area where long-term job prospects are better than anywhere else in London.

The 31 recruits taking part in the new project will be given the opportunity to carry out work across the Royal Borough's parks and public areas, including street cleansing, enforcement and town-centre management.

Mr Roberts concluded: "All residents and visitors to our borough will notice a further improvement in how we keep our streets and communities safe and clean."

Published 22nd April, 2013

© 2013 Estates IT Limited