(Lab):...The YMCA
has recently produced an analysis entitled Youth &
Consequences. I hope the Government have studied it, and I would
be very interested to hear their comments this evening. The YMCA
underlines:
“In 2010/11, Local Authorities in England reported spending
£1.18bn on youth services, with this work accounting for an
estimated 13% of total local spend on all children and young
people’s services”.
It tells us:
“By 2016/17, spend on youth services in England had reduced by
£737m, with Local Authorities spending in this area reported to
be £448m last year. This reduction in Local Authority spend in
England is equivalent to a 62% cut since 2010/11”.
The analysis also tells us:
“Local Authorities in the West Midlands have cut spend on youth
services by 71% since 2010/11, while in the North West cuts over
the same period amount to 68%. Young people living in the East of
England and South West have fared best. However, even in these
areas, the annual spend on youth services has more than halved
since 2010/11”.
The report goes on to say that in Wales—my noble friend is responding to this
debate—
“it is young people in Mid Wales who have faced the biggest cuts
to their youth services. Local Authorities in Mid Wales have
almost halved (48%) their spending on youth services since
2010/11. Those young people in South West Wales have been more
fortunate, with cuts to youth services in this region totalling
23% since 2010/11”.
Very fairly, the analysis asks:
“Do new funding sources offer hope? While Local Authorities
remain the primary source of funding for youth services, it is
important to acknowledge that providers access funding from a
range of sources. The most prominent new funding source that has
emerged since 2010/11 is for the National Citizen Service … Between
2010/11 and 2016/17, an estimated £630m was spent on the NCS, and
as a local provider, YMCA”,
wants to put on record that it,
“recognises the positive impact that NCS can have on young
people’s lives”.
However, the services and the work of the NCS do not cover the
whole of England and Wales, and we ought to remember that...
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Lord Ashton of
Hyde) (Con):...Our national flagship policy is
the National Citizen Service, which has been
mentioned. It is open to all young people age 15 to 17. It is
designed to deliver a concentrated programme of positive
activities, personal development and social action for young
people. This is delivered through more than 300 organisations,
more than 80% of which are from public or voluntary and community
sectors. I am pleased to say that more than 400,000 young people
from all social backgrounds have so far taken part in NCS, and we
expect another 100,000 in 2018. It is important to note that they
have given more than 12 million hours of volunteer time...
