Oxfordshire youth workers to strike after cuts revealed

The vote to strike was agreed last week in response to discussions within Oxfordshire County Council to reduce the funding for youth support from £3.7m to £1.4m by 2013. The reductions are part of a broader cost-cutting exercise being carried out by the council. Overall, the council's Children, Young People and Families department is looking to find £18m in savings.

Youth workers are concerned that the cuts will force many youth centres to close and rob Oxfordshire's young people of crucial targeted services, such as sexual health, drug and alcohol misuse, and employment support.

Doug Nicholls, national secretary of the Community and Youth Workers section of union Unite, said: "This is the first time in the history of Oxford's youth service that a vote for strike action has been agreed amongst its dedicated staff. Youth workers aren't joking, they mean it; stop the cuts to young people who need our support the most."

"The government is more than £800bn in debt and will be looking for ways to reduce this deficit," said a council spokesman. "Most councils in the country are preparing for this by discussing ways of making savings. At Oxfordshire County Council one such area under discussion is youth support funding. No decisions have been taken, nor will they be taken until February when the council's budget is set."