The Fall in Funding
In January, YMCA England and Wales released a report breaking down the current state of funding for youth services – Beyond the Brink?
The report highlights the ongoing difficulties local authorities in England and Wales face in funding youth services. For over a decade, local authorities budgets for youth services have fallen. The annual report details how expenditure in England has fallen by 73% in England and 23% in Wales since 2010/11. This is a £1.2 billion cut to youth services in England in just over 10 years.
Despite continuous calls for action from the sector, it shows the funding gaps and their effects on young people and local communities. From much-needed services for young people disappearing, youth centres closing, and youth workers lost due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the financial strain on councils, youth services have been driven to the brink.
Key Findings
-
The decline in youth services expenditure in England continued in the last financial year. Levels remain critically low following more than a decade of cuts.
-
Council-run youth centres continue to close, and youth workers have fewer hours to support young people who desperately need support. In the past decade, 643 youth centres have closed, and 1536 qualified youth workers have been lost.
-
63% of councils anticipating further cuts to services for children, young people, and families in the next year.
A Glimmer of Hope
The new UK Government has set its intentions to design a National Youth Strategy for England, which presents an extremely vital opportunity to reset and rebuild youth services nationally. Promises alone however, are not enough. As a leading youth charity campaigning for long-term investment in youth services, YMCA are calling for bold action in order to see a lasting change.
The report calls for:
-
The development and implementation of a fully-funded National Youth Strategy for England, with the importance of properly funded youth services as a key part of this strategy.
-
Greater financial support for local authorities to deliver youth services.
-
Sustained investment in youth workers and programming to provide young people with meaningful support, opportunities, and resources.
Final Thoughts
At YMCA Fairthorne Group, we provide youth clubs and services at a number of our Hampshire and Isle of Wight locations. These services are vital to our communities. YMCA fully support the National Youth Strategy, and believe that the direction of these policies will be positive. However, without financial support, youth services will continue to decline at a worrying rate.
YMCA is calling for policymakers, local councils, and partners to invest in young people’s futures, and pull funding back from the brink before it is too late.
