Agenda item

Agenda item

Motion - Cuts to Youth Services

Minutes:

Motion proposed and seconded:

 

Council believes that this Government has failed young people by overseeing unprecedented cruel cuts to youth services across the country.

 

Overall spending on youth services in England has fallen by £737m (62%) since 2010.

 

Youth work as a profession has been eroded and undermined through funding cuts and market reforms. This has resulted in a reduction in the number of joint Negotiating Committee programmes, the number of providers employing Joint Negotiating qualified workers and the number of students enrolling in undergraduate programmes.

 

Between 2012 and 2016, 600 youth centres closed down and 3,500 youth workers lost their jobs.

 

Cuts to youth services have devastated the lives of young people by damaging community cohesion, making it harder to stay in formal education, and having a negative impact on their health and wellbeing. 83% of youth workers say the cuts have had an effect on crime and anti-social behaviour. Youth work is a distinct educational process offering young people safe spaces to explore their identity, experience decision-making, increase their confidence, develop interpersonal skills and think through the consequences of their actions. This leads to better informed choices, changes in activity and improved outcomes for young people.

 

?      Council believes that youth services should be made statutory, recognising the important role universal youth work plays in supporting young people to realise their potential.

?      Council notes that Manchester has established a Youth Partnership via the Manchester Youth Trust and we ask the Chief Executive to review Trust arrangements to ensure that it is tailored to the needs of Manchester communities.

?      We call upon the Secretary of State to promote and secure youth services in each local authority and to establish a national body to oversee youth service provision across the country.

?      We call on Manchester MP’s to support and campaign for statutory youth services.

 

Resolution

 

The motion was put to Council and voted on and the Lord Mayor declared that is was carried unanimously.

 

Decision

 

Council believes that this Government has failed young people by overseeing unprecedented cruel cuts to youth services across the country.

Overall spending on youth services in England has fallen by £737m (62%) since 2010.

 

Youth work as a profession has been eroded and undermined through funding cuts and market reforms. This has resulted in a reduction in the number of joint Negotiating Committee programmes, the number of providers employing Joint Negotiating qualified workers and the number of students enrolling in undergraduate programmes.

 

Between 2012 and 2016, 600 youth centres closed down and 3,500 youth workers lost their jobs.

 

Cuts to youth services have devastated the lives of young people by damaging community cohesion, making it harder to stay in formal education, and having a negative impact on their health and wellbeing. 83% of youth workers say the cuts have had an effect on crime and anti-social behaviour. Youth work is a distinct educational process offering young people safe spaces to explore their identity, experience decision-making, increase their confidence, develop interpersonal skills and think through the consequences of their actions. This leads to better informed choices, changes in activity and improved outcomes for young people.

 

?      Council believes that youth services should be made statutory, recognising the important role universal youth work plays in supporting young people to realise their potential.

?      Council notes that Manchester has established a Youth Partnership via the Manchester Youth Trust and we ask the Chief Executive to review Trust arrangements to ensure that it is tailored to the needs of Manchester communities.

?      We call upon the Secretary of State to promote and secure youth services in each local authority and to establish a national body to oversee youth service provision across the country.

?      We call on Manchester MP’s to support and campaign for statutory youth services.