Labour heavyweight David Miliband this week dismissed the coalition's Work Programme as a ‘monumental failure' and called on local authorities to use their procurement policies to boost local apprenticeships.

Speaking at a Local Government Association (LGA) event on 14 May, Mr Miliband also called for funding from prime minister David Cameron's ‘problem families' unit to be diverted into local employment initiatives. The event marked the launch of a national debate on youth unemployment to help develop practical policies and examples of best practice, designed to feed into an LGA report on the issue due in October.