Government leaders should consider creating a new ministerial post charged with tackling rising numbers of unemployed youngsters, an influential think-tank has suggested. Writing this week, researchers at the Institute for Government (IfG), a non-aligned think-tank led by former local government chief executive, Sir Michael Bichard, float the idea of creating ministerial or Whitehall posts to reinvigorate cross-government policies which have had limited success. Simon Parker, IfG fellow, and Akash Paun, senior researcher, suggest posts could be accompanied by pooled Whitehall budgets to improve the way the Government and its partners – including local authorities – work together to tackle issues such as youngsters not in employment education or training (‘Neet'). The initiative, which is in line with initiatives such as the Total Place agenda, follows the IfG's concern that just seven out of Whitehall's 20 cross-cutting Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets set in 2004 had been met by 2008. ‘What difference could it make now if we appointed a senior minister for Neets and gave them a substantial budget to commission from across Whitehall? ‘This system is currently being trialled in the Netherlands,' they write. Almost one million 16 to 24-year-olds are now defined as Neet, the highest rate for decades. Although the figures during the recession are not as high as some commentators predicted, work and pensions secretary, Yvette Cooper, is considering another ‘back to work' strategy – which could be published alongside the pre-Budget report this winter – outlining how Whitehall and local authorities should tackle long-term unemployment. The LGA has called on ministers to devolve additional powers to local authorities. Later this month, Smith Square is expected to call on Whitehall to reform its PSA target for Neets because, local government practitioners claim, it focuses too heavily on the 16 to 19-year-old age group – at the expense of older youths.
