Council leader visits job club to learn about Employment Plus
published on 21 Aug 2025
Council leader visits job club as it is revealed that a third of clients are from Wirral
The Salvation Army welcomed Councillor Paula Basnett, leader of Wirral Council, to a job club after finding that one third of its job club clients within the Liverpool City Region are from Wirral.
The Salvation Army works with people across Merseyside who are economically inactive, giving them the opportunity to get into paid employment through its job club scheme, Employment Plus and has revealed that a third of its clients across the five locations it runs the scheme throughout the Liverpool City Region, and several other locations, are from Wirral.
Employment Plus is available and delivered from Salvation Army churches in Southport, Bootle, Walton, Stoneycroft, and Birkenhead with employability practitioners working with people who want work and can work but for multiple reasons are unable to find and keep work. The Salvation Army welcomed Cllr Paula Basnett to its job club at its Birkenhead church and community centre, located on Vincent Street.
Peter Maybury, Regional Manager for The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus across the North West said: “The Salvation Army seeks to transform people’s lives, offering holistic support that has a meaningful and lasting impact, giving people the confidence and skills to get on in life. The people we work with often have the greatest barriers to finding and keeping work and need specialist, long-term, person-centred support from services such as Employment Plus. People often come to us because there is no other support available to them.
“We’ve found a spike in Wirral of people needing employability support and were only too pleased to welcome Cllr Basnett to see for herself the work that we do through Employment Plus and demonstrate the support we’re providing to residents and how we can help even more.”
The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus provides tailored employability support across Merseyside, helping people who face the biggest barriers to employment become work ready including people who lack up to-to date skills and people who have been unable to search for work due to health problems, disability, or homelessness.
Working alongside and commissioned by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) The Salvation Army also utilises the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), including through its employment work at Strawberry Field in Woolton, and has enabled hundreds of people to overcome barriers to employment and achieve their goals.
Councillor Paula Basnett, leader of Wirral Council said: “It’s clear that many people in Wirral want to work but face significant barriers in getting there. Services like Employment Plus provide the tailored support and guidance they need to gain skills, confidence, and lasting employment. I’m delighted that Wirral Council is working with partners like The Salvation Army to help our residents achieve their potential and build a brighter future for themselves and their families.”
Employability Practitioners, which make up part of The Salvation Army’s Employment Plus team, help jobseekers overcome or manage barriers to finding and staying in work, help with writing CVs, job applications, training opportunities and confidence building.
Peter added: “We see thousands of people who are being held back by the job market for reasons that are very often beyond their control. People who have had to stop work to care for loved ones, people who have had their own long term health problems and people trying to rebuild their lives after being homeless. Sadly, people can find that the job market has moved on while they have been ill or caring for others.”
The one-to-one sessions across Liverpool City Region are available to anyone who is struggling to find work. Appointments can be made directly with The Salvation Army’s Employment Practiotiner for Merseyside by emailing Employmentplus.Liverpool@salvationarmy.org.uk.
Employment Plus differs from many mainstream services as there is no time limit for support, customers receive help that they specifically want and need, the pace of the journey and goals are set by the individual, and all customers receive regular support.
