CYP Now - Reflecting on lack of youth work spending in the Autumn Budget

With a need to fill a £40 billion funding gap in public spending, the anguished cry of youth organisations, already trying to eke out short-term grants and funding for piecemeal projects amidst postcode lotteries for youth provision across the country was, sadly, lost among the heavy emphasis on changes to fiscal rules, taxation and the clamour of support for the NHS and social care in Labour’s first budget in 14 years.

Leigh Middleton is chief executive of the National Youth Agency - NYA

It’s sadly not surprising but is highly disappointing that youth services continue to fall down the ministerial priority list. Young people were also a far cry from being at the top of the policy agenda in this Budget. Calling for more investment in youth work has always been a tough sell, but with spiralling costs of social care, SEND, and temporary housing pushing many councils to the brink, youth work is not so much the poor relation as the outcast, having to fend for itself. This was evident in the Chancellor’s welcomed announcement of a real-term funding increase for local government, amounting to £1.3 billion in new grant funding, which ringfenced at least £600 million for social care but omitted any mention of youth services.

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