Times letters: Burnham's pledge to fix the Neets crisis The Times Letters to the Editor letters to the editor Times letters: Burnham's pledge to fix the Neets crisis new Letters to the Editor Tuesday October 20 2026, 12.01am BST , The Times Listen 0:00 / · 14:47 min Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save Write to letters@thetimes.co.uk Sir, The prime minister needs to get on with investing in employment support ( Andy Burnham, comment, Oct 19 ). The last Conservative government scrapped traineeships for Neets in 2023, and last year the Labour government presided over significant underfunding in further education with a lack of places. FE providers ended up enrolling 32,000 unfunded 16 to 19-year-old students on their courses rather than turn them away. This is unsustainable. I am cynical about the imminent report of the Milburn review. We don't need endless reviews and new strategies. Instead we need proper long-term investment in employability support and skills, combined with an overhaul of the benefits system that makes work pay. Ian Ross CEO, Elevate Employment Most commented 1 Russian strikes 'leave half a million Ukrainian homes without power' Russia-Ukraine war 387 comments 2 'We're 34 — we can't wait to start being landlords' Property & Home 77 comments 3 The beauty expert's all-time favourite hair products Beauty 19 comments Sir, Andy Burnham is right that the Neets crisis is a moral failure, and that it cannot be fixed by Whitehall alone. But a guarantee of apprenticeships and work placements is only as good as the employers that provide it; the hardest part is not getting young people through the door, it is keeping them. About one in three apprentices in England still leave before finishing. Each one is a young person who tried and was let down again, and an employer who is less likely to try next time. Top stories 1 Clodagh McKenna: I always get up at 6am on holiday. I love the calm Inspiration 2 16 of the best safaris in Africa Africa 3 13 of the best affordable hotels in New York New York City 4 The Marylebone pop-up for Christmas-maxxers LUXX 5 The best luxury gifts for Christmas 2026 LUXX In my years running a Hampshire manufacturer, we took on at least 20 apprentices, and not one dropped out. More than half the workforce are current or former apprentices, and several now hold director-level roles. None of what we did was expensive: try-out days instead of CVs, a named mentor, real responsibility early, and a visible path to promotion. Small and medium-sized enterprises can give that attention better than bigger ones, yet the pledges so far are mainly from big sectors. If the guarantee is to stick, ministers should reward completions and sustained employment rather than starts, and make it easier for SMEs to take the risk. Stephen Wilde Ex-managing director, Southbourne Rubber; Emsworth, Hants Sir, It is all very well for the prime minister to bewail the Neets crisis, but his article makes no reference to reversing the tax increases on employers imposed by Rachel Reeves. Unless this is done, there will not be any jobs around for young people to go into, however well we train them. Steve Vince Wolverhampton Advertisement Sir, Fraser Nelson's weekend essay on our failing welfare state was insightful, revelatory and ultimately dispiriting (“ How 'deaths of despair' help explain the rise of Reform ”, Oct 17). It raises the question: if a handful of diligent and perceptive Times journalists can get to the heart of the matter by asking the right questions (and by implication positing the most effective answers), why has an army of civil servants, government statisticians, Treasury mandarins and two decades' worth of platitudinous politicians utterly failed to do the same? Richard Hutchins Durham Top stories 1 The ten companies fund managers think will make them billions Saving & Investing 2 'Mum is dating a fraudster. What can I do?' Family Finances 3 Prepare now for the inheritance tax mess coming for your pension Tax Sir, Andy Burnham laments the plight of our young people. I have just spent a fortnight in Canada; at all the hotels in which we stayed we were looked after by friendly and helpful young Canadians. Our hotels should surely take a leaf out of Canada's book and encourage Neets to make a positive contribution to our tourist industry. Emily Fabricius Upper Clatford, Hants Trump's duplicity Sir, Max Hastings catalogues the duplicity of President Trump and his administration in siding with Russia that has left Ukraine starved of US military assistance for its defence (“ Fakers tussle for seats at Trump's table of lies ”, comment, Oct 17). His article raises the question of which countries in the European Union would be reliable allies should Russia threaten other sovereign European nations. The statement by Robert Fico, the Slovak prime minister, that his country would not participate in the €70bn support package requested by President Zelensky at the recent EU leaders' summit in Brussels suggests that support for Ukraine is not unanimous. If Britain is to bolster its defence capabilities in partnership with mainland Europe, selection should be country-specific and not EU-wide. Professor Ian Kunkler Edinburgh Sir, Max Hastings concludes his tirade against President Trump with a savage attack on Stephen Schwarzman, referencing his donation of $5m to Trump's White House ballroom. His gifts to Trump are a fraction of his gifts to the Republican Party, which are in turn a fraction of his philanthropic gifts. How can Hastings dismiss his ￡150m Humanities Centre at Oxford merely as a library? He is after all a historian who was at Oxford — and history studies will gain much from the centre. Christopher Arnander Firle, E Sussex Martyn's Law fears Sir, However well-meaning Nathan Emmerich's campaign for Martyn's Law may be ( letter, Oct 19 ), it is an unwelcome example of a risk-averse society imposing yet further layers of bureaucratic control over everyday activities, to their great detriment, and reducing further the pleasures involved for their participants. This constant “drip, drip” of new restrictions erodes our personal freedoms and adversely affects participants and volunteers across a whole spectrum of activities, albeit always with the best of intentions. Advertisement Emmerich justifies this new law by saying “you can never say never” to any possible risk. Yet acceptance of reasonable risk is a healthy and normal part of our daily living. It is part of the freedom we still take for granted, whose protection should be paramount, even at the expense of accepting a degree of risk and, yes, the occasional possible tragedy. There used to be an old saying in the legal world that “hard cases make bad law”. They still do. Richard Longfield Weston Patrick, Hants Heathrow scheme Sir, Roger Seifert makes a good point ( Oct 19 ). Indeed, the government's own appraisal of the third runway considers that it would do more harm than good. The government is in a pickle because two years ago it believed Heathrow's forecast economic benefits — since shown to be too high by a factor of ten. The true benefits are outweighed by disbenefits such as global warming and aircraft noise impacts on about four million people. So the PM is right to reconsider. There is less urgency now that Gatwick's second runway will give capacity relief; and the two airports' markets are converging, as Heathrow's business market is in long-term decline, now making up only 18 per cent of its passengers. Mike Fawcett Head of the Department for Transport's airports policy division 1996-2003; London SW15 Essential oracy Sir, To hear a child speak thoughtfully and with confidence is a joy, as is the ability to listen attentively, so Libby Purves is right (“ Oracy is a vital skill in these tech-filled days ”, Oct 19). The Articulation Prize, run by the National Gallery, asks sixth-formers to choose a work of art, building or artefact that has a strong appeal for them. They give a ten-minute illustrated talk on it in front of an audience, and a question is asked by the assessors. Thousands of students have benefited from this fusion of research, reflection and performance. Laurence Wolff London NW11 Sir, Bring back face-to-face prams and pushchairs, so that babies, toddlers and parents can converse. Juliet Murray Stewkley, Bucks Advertisement Hear it, fine it Sir, It remains to be seen if anyone will ever be fined ￡1,000 for playing loud music on a train ( report, Oct 19 ). What seems more likely is that the rest of us will have our peace and quiet disturbed by endless recorded announcements about it. Brian Eastty Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex Shortage of bishops Sir, Some of us view the shortage of bishops as an opportunity, not a disaster (“ Disgraces, deaths and departures create 'disastrous' bishop shortage ”, Oct 17; letter, Oct 19 ). It has been obvious for years that there is a crying need for a change of culture in the House of Bishops; but when new members are added one by one, even the good ones often go native very quickly. The ones who don't, such as the outstanding Bishop of Newcastle, soon get sat on and silenced. If a third of the diocesans can be appointed in short order, we might get the change we need. This does, however, depend on the appointment system working better than it has of late. The Rev Janet Fife Whitby, N Yorks Slavery reparations Sir, The leaders of certain countries who have an eye to their re-election or a fast buck will of course bang the “slavery reparations” drum ( news, Oct 14 ; letters, Oct 15 ). Our bishops and Church Commissioners, on the other hand, should return Queen Anne's Bounty to her intended beneficiaries: the parishes in need here. Just ￡1bn of the Church of England's endowment fund of ￡11.6bn would train and employ 500 new parish priests for five years, the sine qua non to sustain and grow churches. That fewer potential ordinands are applying is hardly surprising when the hierarchy speaks only of the institution's “managed decline”. The Rev RC Paget Marcham, Oxon Saving lives at sea Sir, Your leading article ( “Saving Grace”, Oct 19 ) rightly celebrates the RNLI, but its description of the charity as operating “across Britain” overlooks nearly a fifth of its lifeboat stations. The RNLI serves the whole island of Ireland, including the Republic, where its volunteer crews launched 967 times in 2025. At a time when national boundaries seem increasingly important, it is reassuring that those in peril at sea can rely on an institution for which such distinctions are irrelevant. Dr Hamish Griffiths RYA Yachtmaster instructor; Guildford Mountain chèvre Sir, In 1969 Mum, Dad and I drove from Belgravia to the top of the Stelvio Pass in the Italian Alps in a Citroën 2CV ( letters, Oct 19 ; leading article, Oct 17 ). Mum and I had to walk beside the car as Dad drove it up the many hairpin bends, and I would place a wooden wedge behind the rear offside wheel from time to time to let the clutch cool down. We spent a wonderful time in the Alto Adige and then returned via the Brenner Pass. What an amazing car. Rod Grant Long Eaton, Notts Advertisement Old favourites Sir, Sticky toffee pudding may be “traditional” but some of us remember it being invented in the 1960s (“ Young diners prefer an old favourite for their dessert ”, Oct 19). For a really traditional pudding, Sussex pond pudding takes the top spot; Lent pie and Gypsy tart take second and third place. Jane Lawson London SE7 Write to letters@thetimes.co.uk To order a copy of Sir, The Year in Letters (Times Books, ￡9.99) for the discounted price of ￡8.99, go to timesbookshop.co.uk . Free UK standard P&P on orders over ￡25. Special discount available for Times+ members. Comment Letters to the Editor Share Share this article Email Twitter Facebook Link Save