Working to protect services for young people

At a special South Gloucestershire Council meeting this week, your Focus Team councillors voted to safeguard youth centres in the most deprived areas and still make funds available across South Glos to help communities provide for young people. The issue was originally discussed by the Council's Children and Young People Committee on 25th July but Conservative councillors then referred it to a meeting of the full council.

Speaking afterwards, the Lib Dem Children and Young People spokesperson Cllr Ian Blair said: "Under the Conservative proposals, no youth centre in South Gloucestershire would have been guaranteed to continue. We've safeguarded centres in the most deprived areas and have made funds available to communities across the district to decide what works for their communities, what their young people want."

One youth centre will be provided as a council service in each of the six Priority Neighbourhoods and a further £437,700 will be available for youth services in other areas.

After the Liberal Democrat motion had been passed by Council, the Conservatives tried to amend it further, to move £100,000 away from support for vulnerable young people including young carers, and towards Conservative wards. Cllr Ruth Davis, leader of the Lib Dem group was appalled. "This is playing politics with young people's expectations and the council's very limited resources."

The final outcome is a balance between support for Priority Neighbourhoods and targeted services. Some Council Youth Service provision has been maintained, strategically sited across the authority, and the Area Forums have been given some money with which to support youth services in their area.

Your Focus Team is pleased that the decisions on how to spend the money will be made locally at the Area Forums. It's vital that local people, organisations and Parish Councils give their support to make sure our young people have the services they need. Speaking during the debate, local councillor Pat Hockey said "Of course we have vulnerable people in all communities, so we must keep all the youth centres open - hopefully the councillors here go back to parishes and communities and say 'come on, get up, let's keep these clubs open'."

Locally, we will be doing just that. Later this month, Pat & Dave Hockey and Claire Young will be attending a meeting with youth workers at Fromeside Youth Centre. Parish Councillors from Frampton Cotterell, Westerleigh and Winterbourne have also been invited. Get in touch if you would like to be involved in helping our young people.