Britain risks creating a ‘lost generation' of young people who become long-term unemployed, unless action is taken now to devolve welfare programmes, the LGA has warned. LGA research has revealed previous recessions left rising numbers of people exposed to long-term unemployment, particularly the under-25s and older workers. The LGA study calls for ‘urgent action' to retrain workers vulnerable to long-term unemployment, and urges work and pensions secretary, James Purnell, to speed up plans to devolve welfare programmes to local level. LGA chairman, Margaret Eaton, said: ‘It is vital that we learn from the mistakes of the past.' Ministers' plans to localise the welfare-to-work agenda received a major blow this week, when the architect of many government reforms opted to join the Conservative front bench. Sir David Freud, who was advising Mr Purnell over the devolution agenda, confirmed on 15 February he was to become the Tories' welfare spokesman in the House of Lords. He warned: ‘By the end of the recession there are likely to be more people on welfare than ever before.'
