Business leaders back Rugby MP’s call for young people’s “triple lock”
Business leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire have backed a call from Rugby MP John Slinger for a “youth triple lock” to support young people into work.
Slinger made the call at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Rugby Local Business Forum, held at WAGO’s UK headquarters at Houlton, saying young people needed greater support and a stronger voice in decision-making.
The proposal echoes the language of the pensions triple lock, after the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) called for the pensions guarantee to be scrapped and urged the Chancellor to cut employer National Insurance contributions for under-25s in the October Budget.
Slinger said he was open to ideas on what the lock should include, suggesting free bus travel for young people as one possible element. “We’ve got to have the guts to be brave if we want to help young people and rebalance our support,” he said.
Corin Crane, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said the idea could complement the BCC’s Budget asks. “We really like John Slinger’s call for a youth triple lock and it could fit into one of the BCC’s recommendations ahead of the Budget,” he said. “As a network, we want employer National Insurance contributions for the under-25s reduced, which would make it much more affordable for a business to take on a young person.”
The forum also heard from Carmen McDougall of Urban&Civic on how the Houlton development has supported home workers to network locally, and from Isobel Woods, head of economy and skills at Warwickshire County Council, on the launch of the Warwickshire Business Growth Service, which replaces the CW Growth Hub as a single point of contact for business support.
Dan Mann, chair of the Rugby Local Business Forum, thanked WAGO for hosting and Slinger for attending, adding: “One thing we’d all ask after the recent change of Prime Minister is for stability to give businesses the confidence to invest and grow.”
The discussion comes ahead of a TheBusinessDesk lunch event on 12 November looking at Coventry’s regeneration and economic momentum, with Coventry City Council chief executive Julie Nugent among the speakers.
