A senior Harrow councillor has called on the Government to give local authorities more powers to tackle employment issues in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Analysis by the Labour branch of the Local Government Association showed almost 30,000 people in Harrow are currently either claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance or have been furloughed.

Cllr Keith Ferry, deputy leader of Harrow Council, argues councils are in the strongest position to support localised recovery as they are closer to their communities than government ministers.

“We can all see that the next few months are hugely uncertain – we have no idea how and when many jobs will come back,” said Cllr Ferry.

“Councils want to do everything we can to fire local economies and create opportunities.

“[We] should be given the powers to help those desperate to work into jobs. That means no more expensive consultants and top-down decision making.

“Instead, let’s harness the local expertise in our communities and give the families who have taken a battering this last year the best chance to rebuild their lives.”

He added the priority in Harrow remains the rollout of the vaccination programme but said there are fears the borough could face a “jobs crisis” over the coming months.

In July last year, Chancellor Rishi Sunak set out his ‘Plan for Jobs’, which sought to protect workers who had been placed on the furlough scheme by supporting employers financially and establish new roles through infrastructural and environmental projects.

Then in January, to help manage the impact of the latest national lockdown, Mr Sunak announced additional grants for businesses, including funding to be allocated by local authorities.

He said: “Throughout the pandemic we’ve taken swift action to protect lives and livelihoods and [this] further cash injection will support businesses and jobs until the spring.

“This will help businesses to get through the months ahead – and crucially it will help sustain jobs, so workers can be ready to return when they are able to reopen.”