STAFF at Huddersfield Jobcentre Plus are being given new powers to help more people find work.

The Government said it was introducing new local employment plans in a drive to fill 600,000 job vacancies across the UK.

Jobcentre Plus staff and jobhunters' personal advisers will be given extra powers to suit existing national employment plans to local needs.

Chancellor Gordon Brown and Work and Pensions Minister Andrew Smith said the programmes would also be made less bureaucratic.

Managers at Jobcentre Plus offices - including Market Street in Huddersfield - will have more control over budgets to help jobhunters.

That could mean cash to help candidates for jobs buy suits and pay travelling expenses.

They will also be able to run specialist programmes to help people with specific problems, such as former drug addicts and alcoholics or homeless people.

Managers will have more authority to `buy in' training to provide jobless people with workplace skills.