Blackburn Conservatives call for urgent action and greater accountability after official figures reveal 1,370 young adults claiming unemployment-related benefits and a further 180 teenagers recorded as not in education, employment or training.
Newly examined government statistics have raised serious questions about employment opportunities for young people across Blackburn with Darwen.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 1,370 young adults aged 18 to 24 were claiming unemployment-related benefits in September 2026, representing 9.4% of the borough's population in that age group.
That compares with 6.6% across the North West and 6.0% across Great Britain.
Blackburn's youth claimant rate is therefore more than three percentage points above the national average.
Blackburn Conservatives are highlighting these figures and calling on the Labour Government and Blackburn with Darwen's Labour-led council to explain what more will be done to improve young people's employment prospects.
The Forgotten Young People: A Further 180 Recorded as NEET
The claimant count does not tell the whole story.
Separate figures published by Lancashire County Council reveal that 180 young people aged 16 and 17 in Blackburn with Darwen were recorded as NEET — not in education, employment or training — during the 2025/26 reporting period.
This represents 3.6% of the relevant age group, slightly above the England average of 3.4%.
Although this is an improvement on Blackburn with Darwen's previous rate of 4.7%, the figures demonstrate that some teenagers continue to face difficulties progressing into education, training or employment.
Crucially, young people who are not working or studying do not necessarily appear in unemployment-related benefit statistics.
The 180 NEET figure therefore identifies a separate age group from the 1,370 claimants aged 18 to 24. The two figures cover different reporting periods and should not be treated as a single official unemployment total.
Blackburn Conservatives believe that greater transparency is needed about the wider number of young people across the borough who are outside employment, education or training, including those who are not claiming benefits.
Labour's National Employment Promises Under Scrutiny
The challenge extends well beyond Blackburn.
National figures show that 715,000 young people aged 16 to 24 were unemployed between June and August 2026, an increase of 54,000 compared with the previous year.
The national youth unemployment rate stood at 15.6%, compared with 14.6% a year earlier.
Meanwhile, an estimated 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training during April to June 2026.
That NEET figure was higher than a year earlier, although it had improved compared with the preceding quarter.
The Labour Government has announced a range of employment initiatives, but Blackburn Conservatives are questioning whether those national commitments are translating into sufficient and lasting opportunities for young people locally.
The figures do not establish that Labour's policies caused the borough's employment difficulties. Nevertheless, they provide a clear basis for examining the results of current national and local initiatives.
Blackburn's Labour-Led Council Faces Questions
Blackburn with Darwen Council remains under the leadership of a Labour minority administration.
The council announced that 23 apprentices and graduates joined its employment programme in September 2026, an initiative that provides opportunities for those taking part.
However, Blackburn Conservatives believe that the scale of the wider youth employment challenge requires a clear, measurable strategy.
The Association is calling for answers to several important questions:
- How many young people aged 16 to 24 are currently outside education, employment and training across the entire borough?
- How many young people are successfully moving from unemployment into permanent employment?
- What additional apprenticeships and training opportunities are being developed with Blackburn's local businesses?
- How will the council measure progress towards reducing the borough's high youth claimant rate?
- What support is available for young people who are not claiming benefits and may be harder to reach?
These are questions that deserve clear, publicly accessible answers.
Labour's Jobs Guarantee: Will Blackburn Benefit?
The Government's Jobs Guarantee is designed to provide eligible young people aged 18 to 24 with six months of fully funded paid employment after 18 months of claiming Universal Credit and looking for work.
The Government expects the programme to support more than 90,000 young people nationally by 2029.
The scheme has begun operating in selected areas, with a wider national rollout planned later in 2026.
Fedcap Employment Limited has been identified as the preferred delivery partner for Cumbria and Greater Lancashire, subject to the completion of grant agreements.
Blackburn Conservatives are calling for the Government and local partners to clarify when the wider scheme will become available to eligible young people in Blackburn with Darwen, how many places will be offered and how many participants subsequently enter sustained employment.
While subsidised placements can provide valuable experience, the Association believes that long-term outcomes should be the measure of success.
Conservatives Call for a Clearer Plan for Blackburn
Blackburn Conservatives are calling for a renewed focus on the practical barriers facing young people seeking employment.
The Association wants to see stronger partnerships between employers, schools and colleges, more vocational and apprenticeship opportunities, and better support for businesses willing to recruit and train local young people.
It is also calling for regular publication of local employment outcomes, so residents can see whether programmes are delivering meaningful improvements.
The objective is straightforward: young people should have access to the skills, guidance and opportunities needed to progress into worthwhile, sustainable careers.
Blackburn's Young People Deserve Results
Blackburn has a proud history of manufacturing, industry, innovation and enterprise.
That history provides a strong foundation on which to develop opportunities for future generations.
The latest statistics show both the challenges facing young people and the importance of tracking progress honestly.
The improvement in the local teenage NEET rate is encouraging. But with 180 teenagers still recorded as NEET and 1,370 young adults claiming unemployment-related benefits, significant challenges remain.
Blackburn Conservatives are bringing these figures into public discussion and challenging the Labour Government and local council to provide clear answers on delivery, accountability and long-term outcomes.
The question is not simply how many employment schemes Labour announces, but how many young people in Blackburn and Darwen ultimately secure lasting opportunities.
For Blackburn's next generation, those results matter.
