Monday January 19th 2026
Written by Midlothian View Editor, Phil Bowen
Midlothian MP Kirsty McNeill has backed the Labour Government’s new investment to provide training and work to young people who are neither earning nor learning.
Labour has announced new measures to support 16-24-year-olds across Britain and provide help for many of the 300 young people claiming unemployment-related benefits in Midlothian, to give them an opportunity to get on and contribute to the local economy.
By expanding its Youth Guarantee scheme with £820 million of new funding, the Government is aiming to tackle the problem and giving a brighter future to young people in Midlothian.
Labour’s investment will pay for new Youth Hubs to be set up across local communities. Youth Hubs are centres that offer support to young people, such as CV advice, skills training, mental health support, housing advice and careers guidance.
The package will also provide hundreds of thousands of new training and work experience placements for young people out of work and claiming benefits, and a new ‘Jobs Guarantee’ that fully subsidises six months of paid employment for 18-21-year-olds who are long-term unemployed on Universal Credit.
Commenting on the announcement, Midlothian MP Kirsty McNeill said:
“I am delighted that the Work and Pensions Secretary has committed hundreds of millions of pounds of investment to the young people of this country.
“Too many in Midlothian are being held back. Hundreds of our young people are stuck on benefits, and this new package of support will provide opportunities for them to turn their lives around after the previous government neglected them.”
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