Lords Social Mobility Policy Committee receives Government response to report

The Government has published its response to the House of Lords Social Mobility Policy Committee report "Social Mobility: Local Roots, Lasting Change."

The link to the response and accompanying quote from Baroness Manningham Buller, Member of the Committee are below:

Government response link:
Social mobility: local roots, lasting change government response - GOV.UK

Baroness Manningham-Buller, who chaired the Committee said;

We welcome the Government's response to our report. It has accepted the majority of our recommendations to tackle barriers to opportunity and reduce the number of young people not in education, training or employment (NEETs). This has been demonstrated by today's announcement to introduce technical options for students aged fourteen, which we fully endorse.  

The Committee was convinced that the problems young people face and barriers to social mobility need to be tackled regionally. Only those who understand and can reflect local experiences, challenges and opportunities in different regions, can provide the leadership to find varying solutions.

It is therefore disappointing that the Government has not taken the opportunity to accept our recommendation to expand the Youth Guarantee trailblazer scheme which would guarantee more support to post-industrial, coastal, rural and urban areas.

We are pleased that the publication in the autumn of Alan Milburn's Review should ensure that the urgency of tackling  this critical issue is addressed."

Notes to editors

1. The one-year special inquiry Social Mobility Policy Committee was appointed to consider how educational and work opportunities could be better integrated to improve social mobility in the UK. The committee focussed in particular on; the importance of place, those not in education, training or employment (NEETs), Education and training opportunities for 16-18 year olds and data.
   
   
2. The Committee published its report Social Mobility: Local Roots, Lasting Change. in November 2025. The report called on the Government to devolve more power and resources to local authorities, metro mayors, education providers, employers and other relevant agencies to enable them to use their local knowledge and expertise to reduce the shocking number of young people not in education, training or employment (NEETs) and help remove barriers to social mobility.
   
   
3. Members of the committee included current and former teachers, former Ministers, former MPs, and an engineer. Please click here to view all Members.