The English cities that are Neet hotspots as expert issues fresh warning

Urban areas account for the majority of young people in England who are not in employment, education or training (Neet), new findings show.

A study by the Centre for Cities reveals that over a third of these people are concentrated within the nation's nine biggest cities.

Highlighting "stark differences" across regions, the research notes that youth in certain locations are over three times as likely to fall into this category compared to others.

London recorded the highest total figure at an estimated 117,100—representing one in six across England—with Birmingham and Manchester following at 45,000 and 37,700 respectively.

In terms of local proportions, Blackpool registered the highest share at 21 per cent, followed by Doncaster, Bradford, Middlesbrough and Barnsley, which all stood at 17 per cent.

Conversely, York recorded the lowest rate at 6 per cent, followed by Nottingham on 8 per cent, with Bristol, Brighton and Portsmouth each at 9 per cent.

Rob Johnson, senior analyst at the Centre for Cities, said: “Getting young people into work or training is a national challenge that will be won or lost in England’s cities.

“In places like Birmingham, the scale of the problem is striking, with 45,000 out of education or training.

“In other places like Blackpool, the actual number is small but the proportion of young people affected is very high.

“This shows there can’t be a single national solution. Stronger local economies are essential.

“Interventions will only get us so far if areas lack jobs or training places.

“Mayors need the powers to tackle the barriers that young people face, whether that’s skills, training, or the ability to actually get to jobs and courses from where they live.”

The number of young considered Neet currently hovers around the one million mark, recording a slight fall between April and June from 1.01 million to 981,000.

The government has indicated that it will take further action to tackle the UK’s Neet crisis following the publication of a review into youth unemployment by Alan Milburn later this year.

Delivering his interim report earlier this year, the former Labour health minister said that young people were being “abandoned” to a life on welfare. The current system presents a “perverse choice” his report found, with those on health benefits able to find a “higher income, less hassle and lower risk” than if they took up work.

Reacting to his comments, several charities and campaigners have urged the government not to pursue changes to the welfare system which would see health benefits cut only for young claimants.