SOUTH YORKSHIRE MAYORAL COMBINED AUTHORITY TO JOIN FORCES WITH GOVERNMENT TO TACKLE ILL-HEALTH AND KEEP BRITAIN WORKING

Published 5 November 2025 at 8:58am

•    South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority backs plans to support employees to keep people healthy and in work 
•    A three-year partnership, led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, will drive forward the landmark Keep Britain Working Review
•    Working in partnership with Government, the initiative will focus on prevention, early support and better returns to work, helping more people stay in employment and boosting disability inclusion across the UK

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is to join forces with the Government to tackle the rising tide of ill-health that is pushing people out of work and holding back growth.

The joint effort, developed in response to Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working Review, will drive action to prevent ill-health, support people to stay in work, and help employers build healthier, more resilient workplaces.

Published today, the landmark Review sets out the stark reality facing the UK:

•    One in five working-age adults are now out of the labour force – 800,000 more than in 2019 due to health reasons
•    The cost of ill-health that prevents work equals 7% of GDP – nearly 70% of all income-tax receipts
•    UK employment among disabled people stands at 53%, below leading OECD nations
•    Employers lose £85 billion a year from sickness, turnover, and lost productivity

The report warns that without urgent reform another 600,000 people could leave the workforce by 2030.

With the percentage of disabled people who are economically inactive in South Yorkshire being higher than the national average, the need for urgent reform is stark. 

In response, the Government will partner with employers to reshape how health issues and disabilities are managed in the workplace with the launch of employer-led Vanguards.

The Vanguards - including South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, alongside household names such as British Airways, Google, Sainsbury’s, Holland and Barrett, and SMEs – are early adopters who will develop and refine workplace health approaches over the next three years to build the evidence base for what works.

They're committing to embracing the report’s healthy working lifecycle - which aims to reduce sickness absence, improve return-to-work rates, and increase disability employment rates – which government will work towards developing into a voluntary certified standard by 2029.

It builds on the work the Government is doing to give businesses the skilled workforce they need by investing £1 billion annually in disability employment support by the end of the decade – giving people the skills and opportunities to move out of poverty and into good, secure jobs as part of the Plan for Change.

Sir Charlie Mayfield, author of the Keep Britain Working Review, said:

"Britain is sliding into an avoidable crisis. Ill-health has become one of the biggest brakes on growth and opportunity. But this is not inevitable.

“Employers are uniquely placed to make a difference, preventing health issues where possible, supporting people when they arise, and helping them return to work. If we keep Britain working, everyone wins – people, employers, and the state.

“That’s why the action the Government is taking forward from my Review is so important. I’m looking forward to working with them and with employers, large and small, to keep people in work, unlock potential and build a healthier, more prosperous Britain.”

To help drive this work forward Sir Charlie Mayfield will co-lead a Vanguard Taskforce with Ministers, bringing together employers, disabled people, workers' representatives, and health experts.

The Taskforce will work with Vanguards to develop the interventions and build the evidence for what works. This will inform wider reform by identifying what approaches could become part of the future employment landscape and drive adoption.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said:

“I want to thank Sir Charlie Mayfield for his excellent work. His message is crystal clear: keeping people healthy and in work is the right thing to do and is essential for economic growth.

“Business is our partner in building a productive workforce - because when businesses retain talent and reduce workplace ill-health, everyone wins.

“That's why we're acting now to launch employer-led Vanguards as part of the Plan for Change, driving economic growth and opportunity across the country.”

This front-footed response bolsters the Government’s plan to get Britain working again and ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive by modernising jobcentres, locally driven support, and delivering a Youth Guarantee so every young person is either earning or learning.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said: 

“In South Yorkshire we’re building the UK’s first Prevention Economy - shifting the focus from fixing problems after they happen, to preventing them in the first place.

"We’re encouraging business to invest in the health and wellbeing of people who work for them and working with partners, such as Westfield Health, on our new £7m partnership to create the Sport Legacy Institute.

"I’m delighted that South Yorkshire is one of the areas selected by the government to provide new solutions to help people thrive in employment."

The Government has also committed to embedding workplace health as a cross-government priority. Today’s announcement directly supports the Government's mission to deliver economic growth and get Britain working again. By helping people stay healthy and in work, the reforms will:

•    Boost productivity and economic growth
•    Create more secure, better-paid jobs across the country
•    Reduce pressure on the NHS by preventing conditions from worsening
•    Lower welfare costs by stemming the flow onto health-related benefits

This comes alongside the Government's Pathways to Work employment support package, which represents a major shift from welfare to work, skills and opportunities. This investment will provide intensive support to help sick or disabled people unlock the benefits of work.