The Milburn Review is set to deliver a file on "solutions" to the NEET crisis to Andy Burnham's government this summer, with the meteorological summer ending in August. The review's full and final report will be provided to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Secretary Pat McFadden and Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Scope of the Review
The review aims to make practical recommendations to help young people with health conditions access work, training, or education. It complements the Timms Review by focusing specifically on the link between youth mental health, economic inactivity, and the benefit system. The terms of reference state that the "solution phase" will end in summer 2026.
The review seeks to "understand the drivers of the increase in the number of young people who are Not in Education Employment or Training (NEET) and claiming health and disability benefits, including childhood experience." It also aims to "investigate the root causes of this rise in economic inactivity among disabled young people and those with health conditions" and "make recommendations for policy responses aimed at increasing opportunities for young people."
Potential Reforms to Universal Credit
In the solution phase, the Milburn Review will explore and identify potential areas for reform, including changes to Universal Credit. These recommendations will then be handed to Burnham. The final report is intended to take a holistic view of the welfare, health, skills, and employment system but will not consider the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system.
Disability Rights UK (DR UK) has warned that the review could be used as a vehicle to justify cuts to Universal Credit for those under 22. In their evidence submission, they raised concerns that "access to social security at the start of a young person’s adult life would make them less likely to access employment."
Reaction and Criticism
Alan Milburn, chair of the review, told the BBC that the current situation is "shameful" and that with nearly a million young people not in work, training, or education (NEETs), a complete "system reset" is needed. He stated: "This is a failure. This is the failure of the welfare system, but it's a failure, I'm sorry, of the school system, the skills system, the health system."
Milburn emphasized the need to prioritize getting young people into learning or earning: "We're not prioritising getting young people into a situation where they can be learning or earning and instead we're transporting them into the world of benefits with incalculable costs for their life chances."
He highlighted a stark funding imbalance: "What is shameful ... is that as we've uncovered in the course of this review for every £25 that we spend keeping young people on benefits, we spend only a pound helping them get into work through employment support."
Impact and Next Steps
The Milburn Review's final report, due by summer 2026, will propose a system reset, including reform of the benefits system. The recommendations could have significant implications for young Universal Credit claimants, particularly those under 22, and will be closely watched by disability rights groups and policymakers.
