Agenda item

Proposed by: Cllr K Sudbury

Seconded by: Cllr P Jeffries

This council wishes to recognise the very significant contribution Gloucestershire Youth Service and its staff make in Cheltenham both in youth centres and with regard to detached youth work. We also recognise the many voluntary groups, who play an important role in youth provision in the town.

Cheltenham’s youth centres are highly valued, provide positive opportunities for young people in a safe environment, have a positive impact on young people’s development and are widely regarded as helping reduce anti-social behaviour in our communities.

This Council notes the planned budget cuts and service changes contained in Gloucestershire County Council’s Meeting the Challenge proposals. Whilst accepting that the County faces difficult budgetary pressures and a need to make savings, this Council is concerned that the budget cuts to young people’s services will mean an end to highly valued County Council funded universal youth provision.

Therefore this Council:

1)   Resolves to ask the Chief Executive of Cheltenham Borough Council to write to the Leader of Gloucestershire County Council asking him to reconsider the decision to withdraw all County Council youth work activity from youth centres and to allocate only £50k to each district to help community and other groups to extend existing services and create new ones;

2)   Seeks urgent discussions with County to clarify their future proposals and how best we can work with them to provide best possible youth service;

3)   Will seek wherever possible to work in partnership with the County Council, community and voluntary groups and the young people themselves to strengthen and develop the future of universal youth services in the town; and

4)  Asks Cheltenham Borough Council Cabinet to develop plans on how to       allocate the funding available to achieve the best possible outcomes for   the       benefit of our young people and the rest of the community.

Councillor Sudbury, seconded by Councillor Jeffries, proposed the following motion.

“This council wishes to recognise the very significant contribution Gloucestershire Youth Service and its staff make in Cheltenham both in youth centres and with regard to detached youth work. We also recognise the many voluntary groups, who play an important role in youth provision in the town.

Cheltenham’s youth centres are highly valued, provide positive opportunities for young people in a safe environment, have a positive impact on young people’s development and are widely regarded as helping reduce anti-social behaviour in our communities.

This Council notes the planned budget cuts and service changes contained in Gloucestershire County Council’s Meeting the Challenge proposals. Whilst accepting that the County faces difficult budgetary pressures and a need to make savings, this Council is concerned that the budget cuts to young people’s services will mean an end to highly valued County Council funded universal youth provision.

Therefore this Council:

1)   Resolves to ask the Chief Executive of Cheltenham Borough Council to write to the Leader of Gloucestershire County Council asking him to reconsider the decision to withdraw all County Council youth work activity from youth centres and to allocate only £50k to each district to help community and other groups to extend existing services and create new ones;

2)   Seeks urgent discussions with County to clarify their future proposals and how best we can work with them to provide best possible youth service;

3)   Will seek wherever possible to work in partnership with the County Council, community and voluntary groups and the young people themselves to strengthen and develop the future of universal youth services in the town; and

4)  Asks Cheltenham Borough Council Cabinet to develop plans on how to           allocate the funding available to achieve the best possible outcomes for the       benefit of our young people and the rest of the community.

In supporting the motion she praised the work of the youth workers and volunteers.

Councillor Paul McLain, as the County Cabinet Member Lead for Children and Young People offered some outline context to the proposals made. The County Council had to save £108 million in next year’s budget and unfortunately that would result in some services having to cease. A consultation exercise had been carried out and although subjective it was also quantitative and the public had expressed a view that services for adults, social care and vulnerable children should all be protected. There was also a huge increase in the cost of children in care particularly those with multiple disabilities.  The proposed cuts were not a criticism of the work of Youth Services but it was simply a case that the council could no longer afford to provide them. The policy was to replace universal youth provision with targeted youth work and prevention. Although he had no problems with the motion he challenged members to come up with an alternative for the funding of Youth Services.

In supporting the motion members made the following points:

• Many young people were already in trouble and therefore a policy of prevention was shortsighted and could be counter-productive.
• What if community groups and volunteers did not step forward to fill the gap left when youth centres have to close? It would not be an option for other agencies to pick up the work given that they were under the same financial pressures.
• The proposed cuts would be implemented in March therefore there was very little time to deal with the void left. The cuts went too far and were too fast.
• The police were concerned that antisocial behaviour may increase if universal youth work declines
• Young people themselves were upset that their youth clubs were going to be closing
• A small amount of extra resource for youth services would make a huge difference
• There was evidence that initiatives such as the opening of the Brizen Youth Centre project and NauntonPark had reduced the level of antisocial behaviour and their dedicated teams had done  some very positive work with young people
• It was a misconception that youth centres were only needed in areas of high deprivation and areas in the south of Cheltenham and the town centre also needed these services.
• How would the county monitor the 1300 young people currently receiving youth service provision in Cheltenham? ( Councillor Paul McLain agreed to provide a briefing note)

A member indicated that he would be happy to support the motion because there was a need for the County Cabinet to come back with a more coherent policy. However he questioned the precise wording of the motion in that discussions were already under way with the County and the council should already be doing 3). He hoped that the Cabinet would be taking the action requested in 4) as a matter of course. Another member highlighted that there was no money left at the County Council for these services and therefore tough decisions were needed.

In her summing up, Councillor Sudbury indicated that she had been hoping for unanimous support for the motion and was disappointed that some members had questioned the precise wording. The motion was designed to give young people a voice and to value the work that was being done.

Upon a vote on the motion was CARRIED.

Voting: For 27 with 4 abstentions.