Derbyshire County Council wants to shave £800,000 from its youth services budget and is exploring “more efficient ways” of running the youth centres, which currently cost the authority around £900,000 a year.
The Conservative-run council is planning to offer grants to voluntary and community groups to provide youth activities instead of providing them itself.
Opponents claim more than 150 youth workers are at risk of losing their jobs, with the local Labour group arguing that the council is just cutting costs at the expense of young people.
A petition of 16,215 names was handed to cabinet member for young people Barry Lewis at a council meeting last night, calling for the authority to "retain the current directly provided universal youth service".
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