Local GBW Plans 

Buckinghamshire’s residents benefit from living in one of the UK’s most dynamic labour markets. With London and other major employment centres within easy reach, and a population that is more highly qualified than the national average, residents largely enjoy higher employment rates, better wages, and stronger health outcomes than those living elsewhere in the country. Yet beneath the positive headline, there are challenges that require attention. This plan is the response to these challenges. By building on the success of existing programmes, deepening commitment to partnership working, working with local employers and adopting innovative approaches, they aim to ensure that residents have easy access to the right support at the right time to prepare for, get into and stay in employment.

Cheshire and Warrington are one of the UK’s economic success stories and the most productive economies in the North of England. However, the ambition is to go much further and ensure that this prosperity benefits all of the residents. This “Get Cheshire and Warrington Working Plan” directly supports this Strategy as it aligns with the inclusive and healthy objective. With a strong economy and potential to grow further, Cheshire and Warrington are in a prime position to make a significant contribution to achieving the government’s ambition to reduce economic inactivity, but this will need targeted interventions both for local residents and employers who are experiencing difficulties filling vacancies.

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are places of extraordinary potential. Communities are resilient, businesses are innovative, and people are ambitious. Yet too many residents face barriers to accessing good work—whether due to health, caring responsibilities, or a lack of opportunity. The Get Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly Working Plan is its response to this challenge. It sets out a locally led, collaborative approach to reducing economic inactivity and enabling more people to thrive through employment. This plan builds on the strong foundations laid by the Workforce and Skills Strategy, the Cornwall Good Growth Plan, and the CIoS Local Skills Improvement Plan.

The Get Cumbria Working Plan is a starting point for increasing labour supply in our county. Through collaborative action, the Plan will help to secure the best outcomes for Cumbria’s people and achieve the target employment rate of 80% by 2029. Implementation of the Get Cumbria Working Plan will be led by the new Work and Health Board which includes representation from the councils, ICBs and DWP.

Get Devon, Plymouth and Torbay Working sets out a shared ambition to create a labour market where every resident can access, sustain and progress in meaningful work. Meaningful work – accessible to all – is a vital building block of people’s health as well as economic resilience. Meaningful work supports physical and mental well-being, reduces dependency on services, and strengthens communities. The plan responds to the most intransigent and long-standing challenges: high levels of economic inactivity in urban communities; entrenched youth unemployment, notably in Exeter, Plymouth and Torbay; low pay in key sectors; and structural barriers across rural and coastal communities.

Dorset county faces a multifaceted challenge— an ageing population, fewer young residents, and an evolving labour market. At the same time, job vacancies outpace supply, and nearly 30,000 local residents want to work but do not currently have the opportunity. That’s why Dorset is excited to introduce the first joint Get Dorset and BCP Working Plan, a collaborative employment, health, and skills strategy. It was created in partnership between Dorset Council, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, the Department for Work and Pensions, NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board, Dorset Chamber, and this plan reflects the combined resolve to connect more local people to meaningful work.

This East Midlands Get Britain Working Plan aims to unlock its regions full potential. It puts people at the heart of their economic mission, by recognising that inclusive growth isn’t just about creating jobs but giving everyone the opportunity to thrive regardless of background, postcode, or circumstance. It will build on the strengths of the Get East Midlands Working Partnership and to create a more inclusive, healthier, and prosperous East Midlands

Too many people in Greater Manchester still face barriers that stop them thriving in work and in life. The Get Greater Manchester Working Plan sets out how we will change this. It creates a clearer, more connected system of health, skills and employment support — one that reflects the ambitions of the Greater Manchester Strategy and helps residents move into work, stay in work and, importantly, progress in work.

Hampshire is a great place in which to live, learn and work. Hampshire is well placed to help maintain and boost economic competitiveness and prosperity by supporting the workforce, keeping residents fit and healthy and helping to ensure they have an excellent education and skills offer. The Get Hampshire Working Plan was developed by Hampshire County Council with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB), to ensure the response builds on a strong foundation of work, health and skills support.

The Get Marches Working plan is a joint initiative designed to help more people across the Marches access good jobs, training, and opportunities. The plan has been developed collaboratively by a wide group of regional partners, and together, these partners have shaped a shared understanding of the challenges facing the region and the actions needed to address them. Rooted in the ambitions of the national Get Britain Working White Paper, these plans aim to build a coordinated, whole-system approach that drives up labour market participation, supports job progression, improves earnings, and enhances job quality across diverse communities.

The Get Marches Working plan is a joint initiative designed to help more people across the Marches access good jobs, training, and opportunities. The plan has been developed collaboratively by a wide group of regional partners, and together, these partners have shaped a shared understanding of the challenges facing the region and the actions needed to address them. Rooted in the ambitions of the national Get Britain Working White Paper, these plans aim to build a coordinated, whole-system approach that drives up labour market participation, supports job progression, improves earnings, and enhances job quality across diverse communities.

The Get Kent and Medway Working Plan shows our ambitions to help Kent and Medway residents back into work. We asked the views of a wide range of stakeholders, partners and people with lived experience to find out how best we, in Kent and Medway, can help support people into employment and fill vacancies within our employers. We asked what works well, what doesn't, and what to improve to help those looking for a job.

Lancashire Combined Authority recognises that too many of our residents are being held back by circumstances beyond their control. We fully support the Government’s ambition to increase economic participation and reach at least 80% employment among the working age population by 2035. This is an ambitious, necessary goal, and one that Lancashire is committed to helping achieve. The Get Lancashire Working Plan (GLWP) sets out how Lancashire will play its part. Developed in collaboration with partners across work, health and skills, and the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise sector, it outlines a place-based response to economic inactivity, rooted in local strengths and driven by a shared ambition to do things differently. 

The Get LLR Working Plan focuses on building an inclusive, integrated and high-performing employment and skills system that enables every resident to access quality work and progress in their career. Its goal is to support the region’s ambition of achieving an 80% employment rate. By uniting partners around integrated support, stronger collaboration, robust evidence, purposeful employer engagement, inclusive access and clear career pathways, LLR will turn shared ambition into measurable results for residents, businesses and places.

Greater Lincolnshire has a population of 1.1 million, with nearly 49,000 businesses contributing to a £30bn economy, which has grown by 40% in the past 10 years. As shown in the plan, economic inactivity, (people who are not working and not seeking work) is higher in Greater Lincolnshire than the national average. This report explores the reasons behind this, outlining the economic and labour market context and the support available to people who are not currently in work. It also presents a proposed approach for increasing the local employment rate to 80%.

The Liverpool City Region (LCR) is committed to supporting the national ambition of achieving an 80% employment rate by 2035. The GLCRWP emphasises the integration of health, employment and skills systems, taking inspiration from All Together Fairer and All Together in Health and Work, which focus on reducing inequalities through prevention, integrated services and targeted employment support interventions for disadvantaged groups.

In London, the Inclusive Talent Strategy incorporates the Get London Working Plan. The Strategy is intended
to be a reference point for the future of talent, training, employment, and skills in London. It sets out a shared vision for all services involved, and establishes system-wide priorities.

Inclusive economic growth is a primary mission for Norfolk County Council and the wider Integrated Care System, with the employment of Norfolk residents and the productivity of its workforce as key drivers. In order to grow the economy, to develop and improve Norfolk’s infrastructure, or utilise emerging technology, Norfolk needs a healthy, active, agile and growing workforce. The Get Norfolk Working Local Plan recognises this and provides the opportunity to bring together the aims of employment services, the skills sector, and health and care services, in simultaneous support of its residents who want a job but face health challenges or socio and economic disadvantages and barriers into work.

The Get York and North Yorkshire Working Plan is a local response to the Get Britain Working White Paper and will support national efforts to increase employment. Getting more people into work and enabling people into roles that reflect their experience, skill-set and ambition is good for both people’s health and wellbeing and for our businesses. Good work will help to put more money into people’s pockets, whilst a skilled workforce will support businesses to unlock their growth potential, ensuring we have a healthy, inclusive and thriving economy in York and North Yorkshire.

New Deal for North East Workers is a strategy that sets out what the North East Combined Authority will do to help more people get good jobs over the next five years. The North East will be home to a growing and vibrant economy for all. They will ensure we have the human capital needed for success, where residents of all ages and from all backgrounds and communities are encouraged and supported to develop their skills and capabilities, make progress towards and into work, find good quality, fairly-paid jobs, and find a career with good prospects, and lead healthy, fulfilling working lives.

Oxfordshire is a county of innovation, ambition, and opportunity. Its economy labour market is amongst the strongest in the country, with world-class research institutions, thriving businesses, and a highly skilled workforce. But prosperity is not shared equally across all our communities. Too many residents still face barriers to good work – whether due to health, caring responsibilities, geography, or life circumstances. The Oxfordshire Works plan sets out the collective commitment to change that. It is the local response to the national Get Britain Working agenda, but more importantly, it is a blueprint for inclusive growth – one that ensures everyone, regardless of background, has the opportunity to thrive in Oxfordshire’s economy.

Get Somerset Working is Somerset’s response to the Government’s call for local action on economic inactivity. Rooted in the ambition of the Get Britain Working White Paper, this plan sets out a bold, collaborative vision for a thriving local labour market. This is where everyone can access good work, progress in their careers, and contribute to a flourishing Somerset. By focusing on the challenges faced by those excluded from employment due to health, caring responsibilities, or complex barriers, they will aim to unlock potential, raise employment levels, and build a fairer and more resilient future for all.

This Get Solent Working Plan is more than a response to the UK Government’s Get Britain Working White Paper; it is a rallying cry for transformation across the Solent sub-region. Covering Portsmouth, Southampton, and the Isle of Wight, this plan unites local ambition with national strategy to build a fairer, healthier, and more resilient labour market.

The Get South Midlands Working (GSMW) Plan sets out a coordinated, partnership-led response to labour-market challenges across Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. The Plan’s purpose is to increase labour-market participation amongst those furthest from the labour market, support people into good jobs, and strengthen the connections between work, health and skills so that economic growth is more inclusive, productivity improves, and people are prevented from leaving work due to ill-health or a lack of support.

The Get South Yorkshire Working Plan is so important. It’s not just a strategy, it’s a commitment to making sure everyone in the region has the opportunity to thrive. This plan builds on what has already been achieved through the Barnsley Pathways to Work Commission, which brought together the voices of residents, employers, and experts to understand the barriers people face and how to overcome them. This plan is ambitious, but it’s also practical. It’s rooted in local knowledge, shaped by lived experience, and backed by strong partnerships. Together, it will deliver a stronger, fairer, and more inclusive South Yorkshire.

The ‘Get Suffolk Working’ plan sets out the first steps they intend to take to build a shared understanding of demand and better join up local work, health and skills support in a way that will meet the needs of its people, businesses and communities. It focuses on the first of the ‘Get Britain Working’ challenges identified. Namely, to reduce the number of people excluded from the labour market by addressing economic inactivity.

Surrey is an area of many economic strengths, a dynamic innovative region long considered a key contributor to the UK economy, with more than 110,000 businesses and a highly skilled workforce. The primary focus through the Get Surrey Working Plan, is on supporting our 26,900 economically inactive residents that are seeking employment, our key areas of deprivation, and key cohorts facing barriers to employment. The response to these local challenges will entail streamlining the skills and employment offer and ensuring clear pathways are in place for the range of programmes now and in the future.

The Sussex economy is broad and varied, with a diverse, polycentric nature and presents a mix of urban, coastal and rural challenges and opportunities. While many coastal and rural communities continue to face long-term productivity issues, there are significant areas of strength across the county. The Get Sussex Working Plan sets out how Sussex will reduce economic inactivity and increase long-term employment, taking a whole-system approach to employment, health, post-16 education, and skills support across the county. This is a live and evolving plan to be delivered and reviewed over the coming decade.

In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, there is evidence of an enterprising, resilient, and inclusive economy. But there are pockets facing considerable economic challenges, and for the area to thrive, these challenges need to be understood across the system of support to get people into employment. That’s why stakeholders from across the area have come together to create a Get Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Working Plan, putting in place the ambitions and priorities to deliver a united vision for Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent.

The Get Swindon and Wiltshire Working Local Plan aims to identify priority actions which can be taken in the short, medium and long term to reduce barriers to employment, support pathways and access to employment, and help employers fill their vacancies. It sets out the plan as to how the most disadvantaged residents can be supported, and how barriers can be tackled. There are geographical, demographic, sector and circumstances where access to and inclusion in the labour market is not equitable. This hinders our communities and restricts economic growth. This plan sets out how the most disadvantaged residents can be supported, and how barriers can be tackled.

The Get Tees Valley Working Plan is a regional work, health and skills plan, developed in response to the UK Government’s aims to increase employment, reduce economic inactivity, mitigate health-related barriers to work and improve job quality.

The West of England has a strong £53.7bn economy and the highest employment rate of any Combined Authority area, but challenges remain. Without action, inequalities risk constraining growth and leaving many residents excluded from opportunities. That is why this plan has been developed alongside our Growth Strategy. By supporting more people into work, we provide businesses with the skills they need and open up more chances for residents to build careers and increase their incomes, whilst ensuring the benefits of growth are shared across the region. The Get West of England Working Plan is all about tackling the labour market inequalities that persist here and making sure everyone in the West can benefit from our region’s success.

The West Midlands Works report highlights how we can build the most ambitious integration of employment, skills and health support attempted in the UK. Our working-age population will continue to grow in the coming decade, unlike many parts of the country. Harnessed effectively, the ingenuity and skill of our young and diverse residents can power both regional and national prosperity. West Midlands Works is not just a plan for jobs – it is a plan to unlock the full potential of our people and our economy, creating a fairer, healthier, and more prosperous region for the decade ahead. 

The Healthy Working Life Plan supports the ambitious shared vision for West Yorkshire to have the healthiest residents and workforce in England by 2040, whilst also supporting the Government’s long-term ambition for an 80% employment rate. The Plan outlines a set of priority actions which will enable progress towards these ambitions over the next five years, through coordinated investment and joined up programmes focused on ensuring that residents have access to good work - including a fair wage, opportunities for progression, work-life-balance and work that supports good health.

Worcestershire is a county full of opportunity. With a resilient economy, strong employment rates, and a well-qualified population, there is much to be proud of. The Get Worcestershire Working is a bold, collaborative strategy that reflects a shared commitment to improving the lives of residents across Worcestershire through sustainable employment. It unites health, employment, education, and voluntary and community services to address the complex challenges of economic inactivity and barriers to participation in the labour market.