News

Council spending on youth services in England falls by 73% since 2010

2 mins read Youth Work Youth services
Local authority spending on youth services has been cut by more than £1bn over the last 14 years, research has found.
One in seven local authority areas have no youth services at all, according to YMCA's research. Picture: AdobeStock

Spending by councils in England has dropped by 73% over this period. In Wales the drop has been 27%.

This represents a real term cut of £1.2bn for youth services between 2010/11 and 2023/24 in England and £16.6mn in Wales, according to youth charity YMCA, which has carried out the research.

It also found that one in seven councils in England have no youth centres in their area, either run by themselves or other organisations.

Wales had 91 council-run youth centres in 2023/24, 62% fewer than in 2010/11.

The charity’s research also found that spending for each five- to 17-year-old on youth services in England was just £50.09 in 2023/24, almost half of Wales' per-child spending on this age range, at £97.83.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here


More like this

Student Services Adviser

Wandsworth, London (Greater)

Youth Work in Hertfordshire

Opportunities in districts across Hertfordshire

Enrichment Officer

Wandsworth, London (Greater)