BOROUGH councillors have called on local businesses who secure contracts from Thurrock Council to hire more young apprentices from those leaving care.

The council recently made being in care a "protected characteristic" and rubber-stamped a policy of protecting children in care so they are not stigmatised as they set out on their own.

The council is implementing measures that will improve young people's chances as they leave the care system. This includes how the council commissions services to "ensure inclusivity in our internal job advertisements" and promote care-leavers to private companies for jobs and apprenticeships.

At corporate parenting committee meeting on Thursday (13 March), Neil Speight, Independent councillor for Stanford-le-Hope West, questioned whether companies were doing enough.

He said: "One of the things this is supposed to do Is to knit down deep connectivity with local employers and say can you, when you are contracting for work with us, make an effort?

"There are positive words but I don't see any positive outcomes in terms you could put a figure on. Are companies and employers genuinely buying in or do we have more work to do?. It's an easy tick-box exercise to throw in a couple of lines in a job advert but they don't really follow it through?"

The committee's vi ce chair, Stifford Clays Conservative councillor Elizabeth Rigby called on big business to step up and do more, saying: "A lot of businesses just aren't taking on apprentices, that's the difficulty. It's very costly now to have apprentices and I think that's going to be a struggle.

"Some bigger businesses should be able to. With the environment and the economic situation at the moment, I'm talking to a lot of businesses and they are just not taking on apprentices and they are cutting back on that area so it is going to be a struggle."

In response, boroufgh council officer Trevor Willis, service manager, safeguarding and reviewing, said: "There is a passion across children's services that we get really good outcomes for our young people. There are big employers that we need to get hold of and to hold them to account and I'm really hopeful going forward.

"We recognise there are some companies really struggling financially but there are some that make an awful lot of money and we want to get in on that really."

Watch the discussion and officer report via this link.