Labour AM for the Vale of Clwyd, Ann Jones, has criticised Denbighshire County Council for its inaction on supporting young people into education, employment or training.
Denbighshire was one of only three local authorities not to have developed a NEETs strategy, according to a recent report by the Wales Audit Office.
Ms Jones said: “I was very disappointed to see that Denbighshire’s lack of engagement with this agenda has left it languishing near the bottom the league table for reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training. In authorities with specific strategies such as Torfaen, reductions have been seen of 70% over four years.
“Sadly, this is not the first time Denbighshire have been identified as failing the young people of our county. Our young people deserve nothing but the very best from the council and yet again, Denbighshire is failing to provide what other councils are more than able to do. This does not only severely hold back young people but also damages our already fragile local economy.
“Despite all the interventions provided by the Welsh Government which are making a real difference, it is important that our local council recognises that they have an integral role in getting young people their first jobs or further training or back into the classroom.
“I am today calling on Denbighshire to buck its ideas up and learn from several other Welsh councils who have been so successful in reducing the number of NEETs”.
The Wales Audit Office recently published a report into the effectiveness of local authorities in reducing the number of young people not in education, training or employment. Where councils had specific strategies, over four years – most councils saw vast drops in the amount of young people designated as NEET.
