Local youth centres campaign against closure

Find below a statement circulated to the local media by Bath & North East Somerset Council about this issue.

The following statement sets out the context for the forthcoming consultation on youth services due to start shortly;

Bath & North East Somerset Council has historically spent consistently above Government guidelines on Children’s Services which have improved the life chances of young people and resulted in excellent education outcomes. Our spending totals £24.753m (excluding direct schools budget in 2010/11) and covers a range of activities including home to school transport, foster care costs, provision of special educational needs support for vulnerable children, and early years provision like Children’s Centres;

During the 2010/11 Council budget process, it was a clear element of the agreed budget that there would be a significant re-structure of the Youth Service in April 2011 so that provision would become targeted at vulnerable individuals, groups, and area, rather than universal for all. Funding was allocated in 2010/11 to manage this transition. There will simply not be the money available in the future to sustain an entirely buildings-based youth service;

Since this time, the scale of Coalition Government cuts has increased and line with all other local authorities, the Council is expecting a 30% real financial cut (excluding schools spending which may see lower reductions) as indicated by the Coalition Government over the 4 years starting in April 2011 – this is in addition to the in year Coalition Government reductions announced in August 2010 totalling £3.6 million;

These are forcing all Council’s to radically change almost every service they provide to the public. The Council’s approach will be to make savings whilst minimising the impact on frontline services. From April 2011, Children’s Services will face the same challenges as all others facing Coalition Government reductions;

To mitigate the impact of these reductions, the Council must invest local taxpayers money on services for young people that are going to have the biggest affect to change their lives for the better, and particularly for vulnerable young people, groups, and areas as being most in need.;

Our youth work will become less buildings-based and focus upon the services needed to improve the life chances of vulnerable individuals, groups, and areas. We will work with up to 2,000 young people in the first year through three youth hubs, mobile bus, and targeted project work;

There is an opportunity for all communities to retain youth centres that they highly value. Local people and groups have an important role to play in providing activities for the broader youth community and the Council will be encouraging them to take over and manage local youth centres and projects. Full support would be given by the Council;

The Council has already made progress. £2 million of Government funding has been secured to revamp Southside Youth Centre and provide a new mobile bus. A community group in Timsbury has been successfully encouraged to take over and manage the local youth centre – we want others to do the same;

The consultation is the next step to developing a better targeted range of services for young, local people – this step involves the Council and local community working in joint partnership to change and improve lives.

Editors Note:

On 20 October the Government presents its autumn spending review. Following this we will be able to give a more accurate picture of local government funding plans into the future. In December we will know what our own individual Government grant funding will be for 2011/12, although for some specific grants it may be later.