Appendix 1, Lead Member for Economy

Proposed · This went to the meeting on Tue 14 Oct 2025. What was decided is in that meeting's minutes.

The Get Sussex Working Plan has been written by East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council as a response to the UK Government's Get Britain Working white paper, with the aim of reducing economic inactivity and increasing long-term employment across employment, health, post-16 education and skills support. p8p36

The plan is proposed for endorsement by each of the three councils, and the Get Sussex Working Partnership Group is proposed to oversee its implementation until the Sussex and Brighton Mayoral Combined County Authority is set up and its role confirmed. p238p239

It sets out six ambitions, including building skills and employment infrastructure, tailoring support to different resident groups, working with employers, and responding to place-based needs, together with an implementation plan and key performance indicators. p20p227p239

The evidence in the plan records that Hastings is the 13th most deprived local authority in England, that 36.4% of 19-year-olds in Hastings achieve a Level 3 qualification, and that the NEET rate in Hastings stands at 9.5%. p60p64p67

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• p8Executive Summary Vision: A dynamic Sussex workforce, enabled by integrated support across employment, health, post-16 education and skills. All residents are empowered to aspire, to develop the skills they need now and for the future; to access meaningful employment that improves lives, addresses inequalities, and enables businesses to thrive. The Get Sussex Working Plan has been developed in response to the UK Government’s Get Britain Working white paper. Its purpose is to reduce economic inactivity and increase long-term employment by taking a whole-system approach to employment, health, post-16 education, and skills support across Sussex. This is a live and evolving plan, to be delivered and reviewed over the coming decade. Sussex is located in the South-East of England and is generally assumed to be prosperous, an area with high employment, high skills, high productivity and high pay. However, the reality is a Sussex that faces multiple challenges in relation to work and skills, including:
• p20To meet needs and realise the region’s full potential, The Plan presents clear, credible, evidence-based ambitions, that will provide a constant during the coming period of change: Ambition one: Build a skills and employment infrastructure to achieve the Get Sussex Working Plan. Ambition two: Address needs of diverse resident groups to increase economic activity Ambition three: Develop a joined-up approach with employers to inclusive workforce development, training and careers progression. Ambition four: Respond to diverse place-based needs to increase economic activity, health and wellbeing outcomes Ambition five: Embed careers, employment and skills at the heart of decision-making to facilitate a systems-wide approach Ambition six: Develop and upskill our workforce to boost employment and growth. Under each of these ambitions, the GSW Implementation Plan (Section 8) outlines the strategic and aspirational short and medium-term actions that we will undertake to move towards our KPIs (Section 7). Sussex’s abundant natural assets, historic towns, villages, cities, rural areas and protected landscapes such as the South Downs National Park, make it an attractive place to live and work. However, these protected landscapes and coastal geography boundary restrict development and economic opportunities and create challenges for transport and digital connectivity, particularly in remote and rural areas. The Sussex economy is broad and varied, with a diverse polycentric nature and presents with 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 economy around Gatwick Airport and Crawley in particular, is a major driver of growth, with strong transport links and a concentration of businesses including in the aviation supply and value chains, logistics and advanced manufacturing.
• p36The Plan is informed by robust evidence - a comprehensive data review and stakeholder insight. It sets out a focused approach to bring together multi-agency stakeholders to address barriers and seek collaborative opportunities to improve skills and employment outcomes across Sussex. The Plan is designed to support and align with existing Council and Stakeholder resources and strategies in areas such as economic development and skills, education, health and wellbeing, transport and housing infrastructure and social inclusion. While the Plan recognises the interconnected nature of these challenges, it concentrates on levers and interventions within the employment landscape. It should be read alongside wider strategic frameworks to understand the full picture of Sussex priorities and opportunities. Grounded in the strengths and needs of our communities, it sets out ambitions to reduce inequality and increase opportunity, ensuring that no one is left behind. 1.1 The approach to developing The Plan The Plan has been collaboratively written by representatives from East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council, to align with Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) and Integrated Care Board (ICB) geographies, in accordance with the Department for Work and Pensions, April 2025 Guidance for Developing local Get Britain Working plans (England) - GOV.UK . It has been steered, co-designed and reviewed by a wider Partnership Group comprising Sussex Chamber of Commerce, Public Health and the Department for Work and Pensions DWP. The guidance sets out that The Plan should be signed off by each Local Authority, the Regional DWP lead and the ICB, prior to publication.
• p60Dependency ratios, the proportion of dependents (young or elderly) to working-age people, are increasing, particularly in Rother District (0.89) and Arun District (0.74), due to ageing populations. By 2035, Sussex’s post-working-age population is projected to grow by over 94,000 (23%), while the working-age cohort is expected to decline. This demographic imbalance presents significant risks to labour supply. It also increases pressure on services for older people and is likely to increase the volume of vacancies in the health and social care sector. There are significant geographic differences in job availability across Sussex. Crawley and Chichester are among the few areas with more jobs than working-age residents, while East Sussex and Brighton and Hove have 0.72 and 0.88 jobs per adult, respectively. Many rural areas and coastal towns face transport challenges, which affect employment prospects. Housing affordability remains a major issue, with median prices exceeding ten times median earnings in all parts of Sussex. Deprivation in Sussex is concentrated along the coastal strip , with Hastings ranking the 13th most deprived local authority in England and many of its neighbourhoods among the most deprived 10% nationally. Parts of Eastbourne, Newhaven, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Crawley and wards in Brighton & Hove also face significant deprivation, marked by high unemployment, poor health outcomes, low educational attainment and limited progression. These areas struggle with entrenched socio-economic challenges , limited access to higher education (particularly in East Sussex where there are no Higher Education Institutions) and economies reliant on low-paid, seasonal work . East and West Sussex both feature significant rural areas, as well as urban hubs and the coastal strip. This rural character presents distinct challenges and opportunities for employment and skills development.
• p64In Hastings qualification levels are particularly low at 36.4% and coastal areas of both counties including Bognor Regis, Littlehampton and Eastbourne fall below or close to 40%. Across Sussex, there is a significant gap in attainment and achievement at Level 3 between young people who receive Free School Meals (FSM) or have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their peers. For young people with SEND, Brighton & Hove has the highest gap at 36.5%, above the South-East average of 29.4%. For those receiving Free School Meals (FSM), Brighton & Hove also records a 33.2% gap, compared to 31.7% regionally. In East Sussex, the FSM attainment gap is 25.7%, but even non-FSM learners attain 10% less than Brighton & Hove and 5.5% less than West Sussex. In Hastings in particular, only 36.4% of 19-year-olds achieve a Level 3 qualification, severely limiting their future prospects.
• p67The annual national NEET comparator scorecard published by the Department for Education in July 2025 recorded the percentage of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) in each area: in Brighton and Hove 5% are NEET, in East Sussex 4.9% and in West Sussex 2.2%. While West Sussex reports a relatively low NEET rate, 9.3% of young people have an ‘unknown’ destination (compared to 0.9% in East Sussex and 1.7% in Brighton and Hove), which may conceal a higher number of NEET young people within the county. The data illustrates how the challenges are compounded for vulnerable young people, those who are looked after/in care or have left care, refugees and asylum seekers, carers, with disclosed substance misuse, mental health issues, youth offenders or have been in alternative provision. 40.6 % in Brighton and Hove of this cohort are NEET, 24.7 % in East Sussex, 35.1 % in West Sussex. And for those with and Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or with SEND, often combined with the above vulnerabilities, the figure is 30.1% (combined) in Brighton and Hove, 21.4% for both East Sussex and West Sussex. There are also notable concentrations of NEET young people, particularly in coastal areas and in certain deprived wards, most significantly in Hastings, where the NEET rate stands at 9.5%. East Sussex and Brighton and Hove were identified in a recent report by Impetus, ‘Exploring Compound Disadvantage’, as one of the few places in the South of England where disadvantaged young people have a similarly high likelihood of being NEET as in some of the most deprived areas of the North and Midlands.
• p2276. Pan-Sussex vision, goal and ambitions The following shared vision, goal and ambitions have been determined for the Get Sussex Working Plan. These ambitions have been shaped through the robust data mapping and extensive stakeholder engagement outlined above, which has provided a clear understanding of the main considerations and challenges including current barriers and opportunities across Sussex’s labour market. By aligning national employment goals with local insight, we have identified six Sussex ambitions t o provide strategic focus through pan Sussex and local area action planning, to help build an inclusive, dynamic economy. where employers thrive and residents are supported into meaningful work through integrated approaches to health, skills and employment. Vision statement:
• p2387. Governance and oversight This plan has been developed at a time when significant changes are imminent in relation to the way that Sussex is governed and in terms of wider changes to other anchor institutions and stakeholders (NHS, DWP, ICB, National Careers Service). The Get Sussex Working Plan has been overseen by a Multi-Agency Partnership Group in accordance with the DWP guidance. The group comprises Brighton and Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council, Public Health, the DWP and the Employer Representative Body (Sussex Chamber of Commerce) for the Local Skills Improvement Plan. Due to its current period of change and consultation on restructure, the Sussex ICB involvement has been via the Sussex Workwell Board, Skills East Sussex and the West Sussex Economic Growth Board. Wider input into the formation of the Plan has been sought from the VCSE sector, further education, higher education, district and borough councils and businesses via key local authority strategic partnerships, including Skills East Sussex, the Brighton and Hove Business Board and West Sussex Economic Growth Board. These wider stakeholder forums and existing networks will continue to shape and deliver the Implementation Plan through a highly collaborative process, liaising and working with relevant multi-agency partners across the county to ensure that provision is locally responsive, and grounded in the needs of our communities The Plan is proposed for endorsement by each of the three Local Authorities (BHCC, WSCC, ESCC). Until such time as the Sussex and Brighton Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA) is established and its remit confirmed and the ICB and DWP new structures are known, it is proposed that in the interim Get Sussex Working Partnership Group will continue to oversee the implementation, monitoring and ongoing evolution of The Plan, liaising with local partnerships.
• p239Once the MCCA is established, decisions about oversight of the Get Sussex Working Plan will need to be made by the MCCA with Upper Tier Authorities and key stakeholders. We have worked to ensure the Get Sussex Working Plan and the current Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) align, using data from the LSIP ‘deep dives’ to support development of The Plan. The LSIP Board and Get Sussex Working Partnership Group need to work together to ensure that the objectives and delivery of each plan complement and enhance the other as new LSIPs are developed. Implementation and review The Get Sussex Working Plan will be delivered in line with the high-level and local area implementation plan (Appendix 3), identifying delivery at pan-Sussex and at East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove geographies to achieve the ambitions. The Implementation Plan sets out the six ambitions and the priorities to progress them over time. It includes collaborative actions for the whole of Sussex and actions that respond to the challenges and opportunities in each of East Sussex, Brighton & Hove and West Sussex. It highlights actions that are underway or in development and future aspirational areas for focus. The Plan identifies confirmed activities that are resourced as well as aspirational activities that are not. The success of the overall plan in terms of the ability to meet KPIs will depend on funding and resources being available to the MCCA and partners to continue to deliver effective programmes and interventions and to implement those areas of work that are identified as key. Without funding for needed provision Sussex stakeholders will only be able to work towards the KPIs, rather than able to meet them. The Get Sussex Working Implementation Plan is a live document that will be reviewed and updated at regular intervals so that the Partnership Group can respond to the changing economic, social, employment and skills context and needs within the county.