MAPPED: The nine cities where 250,000 jobless young people are locked out of work

More than a third of young people in England who are not in employment, education or training (Neet) are concentrated in just nine cities, new research has found. The Centre for Cities think tank said 36 per cent of Neets live in the nine largest cities in England, with more than half (54 per cent), or around 381,000, living in urban areas. Its analysis of 2021 Census data revealed "stark differences" between places, with young people in some cities and large towns more than three times as likely to be Neet as those in others. London has the largest number, at an estimated 117,100, totalling one in six of all Neets in England. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Birmingham is second with 45,000, the highest number anywhere outside the capital and enough to fill Villa Park, according to the think tank. Britain's second city also ranks as one of the largest benefits-claiming areas in the UK . Manchester ranks third with 37,700. Across England as a whole, the think tank said the nine largest cities account for more than 250,000 of the country's roughly 700,000 Neets. The 32 other cities in the data account for around half that share. Blackpool has the highest Neet rate in urban England, with 21 per cent of young people not in education, employment or training. Doncaster, Bradford, Middlesbrough and Barnsley are next, each with a rate of 17 per cent. The Centre for Cities think tank found 36 per cent of Neets live in the nine largest cities in England | GB NEWS York has the lowest rate at six per cent, followed by Nottingham on eight per cent. Bristol, Brighton and Portsmouth are each on nine per cent. The England average is 13 per cent. The figures mean a young person in Blackpool is 3.6 times more likely to be a Neet than one in York and young people in Birmingham are almost twice as likely to be Neets as those in Bristol. 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. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Tories reveal plot to block Nigel Farage from No10 in tactical vote MAPPED: The 10 UK areas claiming the most in benefits - How does your area compare? Kemi Badenoch’s plan for Britain faces early acid test as Britons go to the polls The Milburn Review described the number of Neets as an 'urgent national crisis' | PA "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 research comes after the Milburn Review described the number of Neets as an "urgent national crisis". More than one million 16- to 24-year-olds across the UK are not in education, employment or training. There are nearly a million Neets in the UK | PA The Centre for Cities said the Government's response should focus on strengthening weaker local economies and handing mayors more control over skills and employment support. Mr Johnson said the forthcoming White Paper was a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix a system that is not working", adding that mayors should be given "joined-up control over 16-19 vocational education, adult learning and employment support". The think tank found that cities with higher average workplace wages tend to have lower Neet rates. It also found that places with better skills provision and public transport tend to have fewer Neets. It warned that the data, which is based on the 2021 Census, is not detailed enough to show what youth inactivity looks like in some places, and called for better local data. A follow-up report from the Milburn Review is expected later this month. On Wednesday, the Conservatives pledged to halve employer National Insurance on wages paid to workers aged 21 to 24 if they win the next election, cutting the rate from 15 per cent to 7.5 per cent. The party estimates the policy would cost £2.3billion by 2029-30 once extra tax receipts and lower Universal Credit spending are counted. Its "static" cost is put at £3.25billion. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said there was a "graduate recruitment crisis" and insisted the plan was "fiscally credible". Labour dismissed the proposal as "fantasy economics" and "unfunded". A party spokesman said the Government was investing £2.5billion to help young people into work, including rolling out the Jobs Guarantee nationally. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter