1. That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Economy, in consultation with Director of Regeneration to:
a. Approve the Council entering into the required grant agreement with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for the Council to employ young people aged 16-24 years old at risk of long term unemployment on the Kickstart scheme.
b. Approve the Council entering into required grant agreements with DWP for the Council to act as a Gateway for businesses in the city to deliver Kickstart work experience placements to young people aged 16-24 years old.
c. Approve payments of grants to employers who are approved as Kickstart work experience providers by DWP, funded from DWP grant.
d. Approve reimbursement of Kickstart salaries to employers who participate in the scheme through a claims process agreed with DWP, funded from DWP grant.
e. Approve the Council entering into back to back grant funding agreements with employers participating in the scheme.
f. Approve the creation of the necessary supplementary budgets to deliver the scheme.
2. That it be noted that the delivery of support to employers and Kickstart participants would be provided through the Council’s Enterprise and Skills teams, through Wolves at Work and Education Business Partnership as part of a traded service to employers.
3. That it be noted that the Council would be responsible for putting in place the appropriate financial management processes to reimburse Kickstart salaries for participants employed by employers approved for the Council Gateway.
4. That it be noted that the Council would be responsible for managing finance, audit and compliance requirements of the scheme in its role as a Gateway.
5. That it be noted that approval would be sought in the Revenue Budget Monitoring 2020-2021 Report presented to Cabinet (Resources) Panel also at this meeting for the use of £98,000 over an 18 month period from the Recovery Reserve to fund a project team for the Kickstart Work Experience Programme.