The areas where young people face benefits cuts if they don't look for work

The Government has warned that benefits could be cut for young people as it announced plans to tackle rising youth unemployment with a rollout of 55,000 new jobs in areas with the highest need .

The plans combine new opportunities for 16-24-year-olds with tough expectations on claimants if job offers or training placements are refused without good reason.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden described the approach as a “down payment on young people’s future”, adding: “Every young person deserves a fair chance to succeed. When given the right support and opportunities, they will grasp them”.

Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that almost a million young people are not in work, education or training – the equivalent of one in eight young people.

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