Milburn Proposes £22 Billion Youth Job Guarantee as He Urges Benefit Cuts for Under-25s
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Nov 14
Milburn Proposes £22 Billion Youth Job Guarantee as He Urges Benefit Cuts for Under-25s
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Nov 14
Summary
Alan Milburn said young people should have a legal guarantee of a job, training or employment support, with benefits cut for those who refuse the offer.
The former Labour minister argued the UK spends £22 billion a year on economically inactive young people and currently allocates 25 times more to benefits than to employment support; he wants that ratio cut to 2-to-1.
His review also says some under-25s should lose access to certain health-related benefits, including personal independence payment and the health element of Universal Credit, to shift spending toward training and education.
Almost 1 million young people in the UK are not in employment, education or training, a backdrop for proposals the government is expected to broadly welcome when the full report is published Tuesday.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the review a "watershed moment" but stopped short of backing every recommendation, with draft laws expected early next year.