charity sector. We have also committed £1m to a work and skills board to train young people for work.
Councils must seek to create an environment in which young people can thrive, and we are constantly looking for new ways to achieve this; for example, we are currently looking at bringing in travel concessions for 18- to 24-year-olds to improve transport access to job interviews across London.
Getting councils to engage with local employers is the key to making the Youth Contract and other similar schemes work – it is our collective responsibility to prevent a lost generation of young people spending a life on benefits.
Councillor Daniel Astaire, Westminster council’s cabinet member for business
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