Kent council ploughs ahead with controversial youth service plans

Kent County Council will pursue its plans to commission youth services out to local groups, despite an ongoing campaign against reductions in funding for the youth service.

The council will continue to provide some youth services, which will be supplemented by additional youth work offered by other organisations.

The approach aims to save the council nearly £1m.

The council first announced its plans to change the way activities for young people are delivered in July 2011. It then launched a countrywide consultation with 700 people between August and October 2011, where most replies came from young people aged 13 to 15.

Cabinet member for communities Mike Hill said the consultation established that “high-quality youth work changes lives and strengthens communities, something we are trying to work towards”.

However, there are ongoing concerns about the proposed plans. Around 55 per cent of the respondents were against the establishment of youth hubs in Kent. Many respondents were also concerned about accessibility to new services.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams added his support to the campaign against youth cuts last October.  He said: “It is so crucial to reserve decent youth services at the moment given the strains young people face.”

Up to 64 jobs could go if the plans go ahead, with the new structure taking effect from January 2013.

Source: CYP Now