Decision details

The report will highlight the Year 1 progress on the North Yorkshire element of the GYNYW Economic Inactivity Trailblazer programme and propose an outline of the programme for Year 2.
Approval is required to support acceptance of a grant over £500,000 in order to deliver the programme.

Approval has been given to accept recurrent Year 2 grant funding to support the Get York North Yorkshire Working Economically Inactive Trailblazer programme. This is subject to final confirmation of funding amounts and that grant funding conditions remain acceptable to North Yorkshire Council.

York and North Yorkshire is one of nine Combined Authority areas in England and Wales chosen to deliver a specific, funded Trailblazer pilot programme as a part of the Get York North Yorkshire Working Delivery Plan. The programme commenced in 2025/26 as an initial one year £10M funded opportunity.

The Trailblazer programme aim is to:
• Join up and improve employment, health and skills support services
• Maximise existing place-based support
• Test new innovative approaches to identify and engage economically inactive people and employment support that addresses gaps and specific local needs
• Work with a range of partners
• Support the Government's approach to devolution

A second year of £10M funding for York and North Yorkshire has been confirmed by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to be spent in its entirety within the 2026/27 financial year

Not to accept a further allocation of funding. Due to the part year start, projects are just beginning to build momentum with participants and businesses. There is still a considerable amount to learn from developing the projects. Closure of the programme at this stage would impact participants, the reputation of all partners organisations and lose investment in the area designed to reduce inequalities. The programme currently comes at no cost to the Council.