Local authority accused of youth fund failures

By Nancy Rowntree Wednesday, 09 April 2008

Bradford's youth service has been accused of mismanaging its youth opportunity fund money.

Young person building a wall

The charity North of England Activities and Training (Neat) has filed a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman, accusing the council of delays and maladministration after its application to fund a minibus adapted for young people with special needs was rejected.

Neat's chair Chris Johnson said: "We told the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) a year ago that the fund was not reaching its target group but it did nothing. Four months later the minister admitted the number of young people participating was low compared to the national level. Where has the £675,000 allocated to Bradford gone?"

Sue Duffy, Bradford Council's principal youth service manager, said: "We are aware of the complaint and we have provided the ombudsman with the relevant information."

The council claimed it was unable to give further details about how its youth opportunity fund money had been spent without getting permission from each charity involved. The opportunity fund gives councils cash for positive activities, for which young people act as grant makers.

A DCSF spokeswoman said the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber had met with senior officials in Bradford to ensure action was being taken and that Bradford's performance in reaching the most disadvantaged was improving.

"Performance is now around the national average and there has been a five per cent rise in the number of disadvantaged applicants since March 2007," she said.