Funding for youth services nosedives - report

Local authority funding for youth services in the West Midlands has dropped by more than 80 per cent in the last 10 years, according to new figures from YMCA England.

According to the report found that funding in England for services was cut by a further six per cent nationally year-on-year in 2019/20.

YMCA say that due to the impact of the pandemic and continuous cuts, youth services find themselves at their most critical point in history.

YMCA 's Back on Track report, published last August, found that more than half (57 per cent) of young people felt that their mental health had worsened during lockdown, with 77 per cent feeling lonelier and more isolated.

This is on top of recent findings from NHS Digital which cite that one-in-six children aged 5-16 now identified as having a probable mental disorder, an increase from one-in-nine just three years ago.

Paul Laffey (pictured), chief executive of YMCA Burton, said that is important, now more than ever, that funding and resources be made available to support services.

He said: "The additional funding cuts to youth services are going to have a serious impact on young lives.

"Over the last 10 years we 've seen an 82% decline in local authority funding in the West Midlands for Youth Services.

"Youth Services exist to provide a sense of belonging, a safe space and for young people to enjoy their childhood and teenage years.

"This time of the global pandemic has been particularly difficult on young people, with many suffering from isolation, loneliness, unemployment and increased mental health problems.

"It 's more important now than ever before that we see funding and resources available to support young people to prevent these young people from becoming a lost generation."

Each year YMCAs provide a safe space for 41,960 young people through their extensive youth services work, welcoming almost 20,000 young people through their 79 youth centres throughout England and Wales.

Image from Burton YMCA website