More than 1,500 16 to 18-year-olds in Bradford are living a Vicky Pollard lifestyle - leaving taxpayers facing a staggering bill.

New figures reveal there are 1,550 youngsters in Bradford dubbed by the Government as Neets - not in employment, education or training.

Neets are often seen as being typified by the teenage delinquent Vicky Pollard in hit TV comedy Little Britain, although the Government insists "nearly half" of those in the category could be between in jobs, on gap years or be young mothers looking after children.

The figures published by Education Minister Jim Knight reveal one in ten youngsters between 16 to 18-year-olds in the area is a Neet.

Each Neet is estimated to cost taxpayers an average of £97,000, including benefits, lost tax revenue, the extra cost of health and medical services, and the costs of criminal activity, but the worst cases can swallow up more than £300,000 each.

If the taxpayer ends up bankrolling all the Neets in the area, they will be facing a staggering £150m bill.

The Government insists it is tackling the issue.

And despite the latest official figures available for December 2006 showing a large number of Neets in the area - there has been a 14 per cent reduction in numbers compared with December 2005 when there were 1,800 youngsters not in employment, education or training.

David Yates, partnership director for Bradford at Connexions West Yorkshire, was positive about the reduction.

He said: "It is a huge achievement for Bradford and it has be brought about by a number of organisations, including the Council, working together focussing on young people not in employment, education or training.

"It is a really, really great start but now we have to make sure we succeed in reducing the numbers year on year."

A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills said: "Encouraging more young people to stay on in education after 16 is a priority for this Government and we have made excellent progress so far - record numbers of 16-year-olds are in full-time education, more than three quarters, and close to nine in ten of all 16-year-olds are in some form of education and training.

"Nearly half of those described as Not in Education, Employment or Training are not unemployed - they include gap years, mothers looking after children or young people between jobs or courses."

He said long-term youth unemployment is down from 1997, since when the number of youngsters leaving school with no qualifications has halved.

"The proportion of 16 year olds staying in full time education is at its highest rate ever," he said.

"We have trebled the number of apprentices in learning to 255,000 and the Leitch Review has set a target for 500,000 by 2020. Our new Diplomas and better choices for 14-19 year olds will encourage more young people to stay in education after 16."

The £97,000 cost figure has been calculated by the Reform think-tank, and is based on the Government's own statistics.

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