Job centres are failing to identify and support half of all unemployed people, proving funding should be devolved to local councils, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.

The LGA accused Jobcentre Plus of not doing enough to engage with people and failing to find jobs for those they are working with.

It called for a ‘radical' rethink on how job centres work, and for employment and skills funding to be devolved to councils to run local schemes.

Chairman of the LGA's people and places board, Cllr Mark Hawthorne, said: ‘Job centres need to engage with more unemployed people for a start and then help more claimants move into sustainable employment. 

‘This is crucial to boosting local growth. 

‘Councils know best how to do this. 

‘We know our local economies, we know our local employers and we know our residents, and we can bring local services together in a way central government will never be able to.

‘It is also difficult currently for a national agency to understand the jobs available in the local economy in the immediate and medium-term, and the courses available locally to help claimants train for these jobs.'