Review of plans, policies and

EMPLOYMENT RATE

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  National target to, as part of the wider objective of full employment in every region, over the three years to Spring 2008, and taking account of the economic cycle: demonstrate progress on increasing the employment rate, increase the employment rates of disadvantaged groups; and significantly reduce the difference between the employment rates of disadvantaged groups and the overall rate (DWP PSA4/ HMT PSA5)(Securing the Future p.171)
  
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  EU target to raise the employment rate to 67% for January 2005 and to 70% by 2010 (A Sustainable Europe for a Better World p.16)
  
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  Bring more people into employment (Northern Way Business Plan p.22) If the same proportion of people of working age were employed in the North as in the UK as a whole, we would bridge some 40% of the output gap (Moving Forward: Northern Way p.18)
  

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  Regional target to increase the number of people in the workforce by 83,000 in order to meet the England average employment rate, and ensure no district has an employment rate less than 68% over the period 2006-2009 (NW RES p.8)
  
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  Achieve a regional employment rate of 80% by 2020, and eliminate major sub-regional variations and variations between key groups (NW RES p.8)
  

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  Continue to increase the city employment rate from 73.4% (2005), aligning it to the national average (74.9%) by 2009 and continue to strive towards the national rate of 80% by 2015 (Community Plan 2006-2016 p.44)
  

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  Reduce the unemployment rate in the 20% most deprived wards from 4.8% (2005) and make progress towards the national average by 2009 (same target for 2015)(Community Plan 2006-2016 p.44)
  

WORKLESSNESS AND SOCIAL INCLUSION (Also see Education)

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  The Region needs to grow the size and capability of the workforce by: tackling barriers to work; linking workless people and vacancies; stimulating economic activity; develop local employment and business start opportunities in areas remote form growth; improving the health of (potential) workers; retaining and attracting people to the region; and responding to an older workforce and fewer young people (NW RES p.5-6 & 32-37).
  
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  Increase access to employment opportunities in deprived areas (GM Strategy p19)
  
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  Improve economic prospects in our most deprived communities by:
  
  • 
    Substantially improving adult skill levels;
    
  • 
    Reducing the number of people with limiting illnesses and out of work due to ill health; and improving Level 2 attainment and progression to higher education (GM Strategy pages 17 and 18)
    
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  Increase economic activity rate amongst target groups who are furthest from the labour market (Community Plan 2006-2016 p.44)
  
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  National ambition to bring a further 100,000 people currently on incapacity benefit into work by 2014 (Moving Forward: Northern Way p.18)
  
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  Reduce Worklessness – KPIs:
  
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    Increase the overall employment from 72.3% (2007) to between 74.9% in 2012
    
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    Reduce the % of working age people on out of work benefits in worst performing neighbourhoods (% of working age pop) from 33% (2007) to 25.4% in 2012 (MAA Building Block 1 p45/46)
    

Gender

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  EU target to increase the number of women in employment to 57% for January 2005 and to more than 60% by 2010 (A Sustainable Europe for a Better World p.16)
  

Older Population

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  Increase the average EU employment rate among older women and men (55-64) to 50% by 2010 (A Sustainable Europe for a Better World p.16)
  

Young People

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  National target to reduce the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training by 2 percentage points by 2010 (DfES PSA 12)(Securing the Future p.172)
  

INCOME

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  National target to halve the number of children in relatively low income households between 1998-99 and 2010-11, on the way to eradicating poverty by 2020 including: reducing the proportion of children living in workless households by 5% between spring 2005 and spring 2008; and increasing the proportion of Parents with Care on Income Support and income based Jobseeker’s allowance who receive maintenance for their children to 65% by March 2008. (DWP PSA 1/ HMT PSA 7)(Securing the Future p.172)
  
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  Tackle child poverty, in particular focusing on the employment and income levels of parents, to improve the life chances of the next generation of Manchester city region residents (GM Strategy p18)
  

RURAL ECONOMY (Also see Land and Soil and Countryside & Landscape)

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  Support development that delivers diverse and sustainable farming enterprises (UDP Policy EN4)
  
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  In rural areas local planning authorities should:
  
  1. 
     Strictly control economic development in open countryside away from existing settlements, or outside areas allocate for development in development plans;
     
  2. 
     Identify local service centres and locate most new development in or on the edge of existing settlements;
     
  3. 
     Support the conversion and re-use of appropriately located and suitably constructed existing buildings in the countryside;
     
  4. 
     Set out permissible scale of replacement buildings and circumstances where replacements would not be acceptable;
     
  5. 
     Seek to remedy and deficiencies in local shopping and other facilities;
     
  6. 
     Set out criteria to be applied to planning applications for farm diversification;
     
  7. 
     Where appropriate, support equine enterprises (PPS para EC6.2).
     
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  LDDs should support development proposals that will enable farming and farmers to: (i) become more competitive, sustainable and environmentally friendly; (i) adapt to new markets; (iii) comply with changing legislation and associated guidance; (iv) diversify into new agricultural opportunities (e.g. renewable energy crops); or (v) broaden their operations to ‘add value’ to their primary produce (PPS7 para.27)(Facing the Future p.12)
  
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  Strategies should maximise the potential of the region’s rural areas and support sustainable farming and food (RSS Policy RDF2)
  
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  Recognise the need for diversification and further development of the rural economy that maintains viable and sustainable local communities and respects particular environmental sensitivity and distinctiveness (RSS policy RDF2)(UDP Policy ST3 and EN5)(Facing the Future p.12)
  

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