Fifteen areas across Britain will be given £32m in a scheme to give local areas more control over plans to tackle worklessness.

The 15 areas, which have been chosen as pathfinders in the Cities Strategy, will get direct control of £32m from the Government's Deprived Areas Fund after devising their own plans and targets to help people get the support they need to find work. They will also have a key role in shaping the delivery of the Government's flagship Pathways to Work programme to help people off incapacity benefit, have access to improved data-sharing, and a greater ability to influence the provision of training opportunities and employment programmes at a local level.

Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton said:  "We launched the Cities Strategy because local people and local groups know best how to tackle the problems of worklessness in their area. The 15 areas involved in the scheme have come up with their own new ideas to get people back to work, so I am very pleased today to be able to announce that they will receive £32m from the Deprived Areas Fund to carry out their plans." 

The 15 Pathfinders, appointed last year, have all set up consortia comprising government agencies, providers, local government and the private and voluntary sector, to work together and pool resources. They will now work with the Department for Work and Pensions to set binding targets by the end of May.