The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) (www.cioslep.com) is to spearhead a national campaign to create better work opportunities for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.

It is working with the business community, local agencies and the Government’s Work and Health Unit (WHU) to develop a model that can be applied to other parts of the UK.

The campaign follows a Government-funded research project (carried out by the LEP and the University of Exeter last year), which found that many businesses are unsure about hiring people with disabilities or long-term health conditions.

In Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, there are almost 50,000 people of working age whose day-to-day activities are limited by a long-term illness or disability.

This is over 15% of the working-age population, but less than half of them have a job (compared with eight out of 10 non-disabled people).

The LEP is to lead a project to engage and support local employers, by bringing together key partners and championing action. It will also examine workplace health and how people can be supported to remain in work.

The WHU and the Government have pledged to work closely with the LEP, to share its findings with other LEPs in England and to encourage them to take on a similar local leadership role.

The project follows a conference in Truro organised by the LEP, Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses and Truro & Falmouth MP Sarah Newton (pictured) — the recently appointed Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health.

LEP chairman Mark Duddridge said: “This is Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly leading the way to tackle a massive employment gap in our society when it comes to people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.

“Cornwall responded brilliantly to last year’s Green Paper on this issue and advised the Government on practical things to get more people who are economically inactive back into work — and help them stay there.

“This is why we have been encouraged to lead on this issue as a beacon area in the UK.”