Campaigners urge Labour to back statutory youth services in manifesto

Choose Youth, a coalition of 30 voluntary sector youth organisations and trade unions, has created a campaign calling on Labour to include a commitment to protect the funding and status of youth services if the party forms the next government.

It has also set up an online petition that has gathered 6,520 signatures backing its call for Labour to commit to protecting services.

The petition, which is addressed to Labour leader Ed Miliband and highlights the extent of cuts to youth service funding and provision over recent years, states: “By 2015, youth service provision may have disappeared entirely in many parts of the country and could certainly be the first public service to disappear. We know this issue is important to you so please take the lead and ensure that Labour's commitment to a sufficiently resourced statutory youth service is included in your election manifesto for 2015.”

CYP Now understands that Labour MPs that back greater protection of youth services recently met the party’s leadership to lobby for measures to be included in the election manifesto.

Last November, a parliamentary motion tabled by Labour MP for Bradford South Gerry Sutcliffe calling for youth services to be given statutory status was signed by 145 MPs.

However, the motion was not signed by Labour’s shadow youth services minister Lisa Nandy, nor shadow Chancellor Ed Balls and Miliband.

With campaigning for the general election officially starting today (30 March), the parties are expected to unveil shortly their manifestos outlining their priorities and plans should they be elected.

The Choose Youth campaign has been set up to protect youth services against cuts and to “preserve the right of all 13- to 19-year-olds, and up to 25-year-olds with disabilities, to a universal, open-access youth service provision”.

Research published by Unison in August found there had been cuts of £60m to youth services since 2012.