The Hull+ scheme – a collaboration between Hull City Council and the Environment Agency – will see an investment of up to £5 million in environmental enhancements to the Dock Office Row area, as well as reducing flood risk to businesses, providing greater economic and job security in the area.

Funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Environment Agency, it is envisaged that the work will generate additional investor confidence in the area.

It will complement the £27.4m Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City project being delivered by Hull City Council. A grant of £15 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund helped enable the project.

The Dock Street area is identified as having potential to be used as a tourist destination in the local plan and includes improved footpaths to the waterfront.

Hull+ project manager Paul Ahdal, of the Environment Agency, said:

As well as improving flood defences in the area we hope the scheme will help provide a springboard for development and help continue to attract tourists to the city following the success of Hull 2017 City of Culture.

Councillor Daren Hale, Hull City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Investment and Regeneration, said:

It is great to see work starting in this area. It marks the beginning of an exciting journey ahead as we embark on an ambitious project to reconnect this part of the city centre with the waterfront, offering a new visitor centre and dry-berth for the Arctic Corsair telling the maritime story and important role this area played.

Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth Minister, Jake Berry MP, said:

I am really pleased to see this vital scheme coming together, delivering jobs and flood improvements for local businesses. It’s a great example of the Government working in partnership with the Council to stimulate growth through infrastructure and heritage investment in the Northern Powerhouse.

The first phase of work will see the removal of silt from the dry dock area off Dock Office Row.

This will allow the Arctic Corsair to be relocated to the area after being renovated by contractors for Hull City Council.

The silt removed will be sent for recycling and used in the manufacture of building blocks.
The Hull+ scheme compliments a number of other projects in the area which include the River Hull Defences, delivered by the Environment Agency, and the Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City project, delivered by Hull City Council.

As the UK celebrates its first ever ‘Purple Tuesday’ highlighting the huge potential of disabled consumers’ £249bn spending power, new figures show more than half of disabled people are now in work, outnumbering those who are workless.

In a further boost to the economy and consumer spending, wage growth outpaced inflation for an eighth month in a row, rising 0.9% in real terms (against CPIH inflation). Regular pay before inflation grew at its fastest in almost a decade, 3.2%.

The UK’s unemployment rate has also nearly halved since 2010, now at 4.1%.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics also revealed the employment rate remains high, at 75.5%, with a record number of people in employment – and over 3.3 million more people in work since 2010.

Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey said:

As we celebrate the anniversary of Disability Confident, we can see seismic shifts in opportunities for disabled people, with 973,000 more in work since 2013.

That’s empowering hundreds of thousands more disabled people with new career opportunities, and creating a brighter future.

Since 2010, employment has risen and unemployment has fallen in every single region of the UK. And with an average of 1,000 people moving into work each and every day, and three quarters of all new jobs in permanent, full time and high skilled roles, this shows our welfare reforms are working and delivering for people across the country.

Employment Minister Alok Sharma said:

Once again, the benefits of a strong jobs market are paying off, with the eighth month of real-terms wage growth for UK workers and the highest regular pay growth in almost a decade.

With more people now in work than ever before and unemployment almost halving since 2010, we are delivering an economy that gives people the opportunity of a better future.

And it’s worth noting that of the over 3.3 million jobs created in the British economy since 2010, three quarters are permanent, full time and in higher level occupations.

Figures also show three quarters of jobs created since 2010 are full time, permanent roles that are in higher skilled occupations, which typically bring higher earnings – all ambitions of the government’s Industrial Strategy which seeks to create better, well-paying jobs fit for the future.

This month also marked the anniversary of the anniversary of the Disability Confident scheme, which helps to transform business attitudes across the country and make our workplaces more inclusive. Over 9,000 businesses have signed up so far.

The government is helping even more people benefit from a well-paid job by:

• backing businesses to create good jobs with our modern Industrial Strategy, while ensuring they play by the rules, so we are closing tax loopholes, strengthening workers’ rights, and tightening the rules big businesses must follow
• investing in the infrastructure, training and apprenticeships we need for our future, with public investment at the highest sustained level in 40 years
• introducing Universal Credit which is helping people move into work faster and stay in it longer, while recent Budget measures mean 2.4 million families will keep an extra £630 per year of what they earn
• helping people stay in work longer with our Fuller Working Lives strategy, which supports employers to recruit, re-train and retain older workers
• tackling inequalities in employment highlighted by the Race Disparity Audit, through targeted support in 20 areas around the country and £90 million announced by the Prime Minister to help young people
• arranging work experience sessions for students through Jobcentre Plus, in over 1,400 schools

The work experience scheme is being rolled out across the country, to ensure young disadvantaged kids aged 12 to18 get opportunities including work experience to learn about the world of work and consider future career options. So far, the partnership between Jobcentre Plus and local schools has resulted in around 12,000 sessions for pupils, parents and teachers helping to prepare pupils for the world of work.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 3267 5106

Follow DWP on:

• Twitter – www.twitter.com/dwppressoffice
• Facebook – www.facebook.com/dwp
• LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/company/dwp
• YouTube – www.youtube.com/dwp