Council to cut youth services by 20 per cent

Northumberland County Council said it plans to reorganise its youth service to make a saving of around £240,000 from the total budget of £1.2m in the 2016/17 financial year.??

A council document outlines plans "move from the current four-locality management structure of the youth service to a new structure built around three areas".

The document adds that cost reductions will be achieved by reducing the number of management posts and by creating savings in other back-office costs.

??“Management cost savings will require the service to operate in a more streamlined way, but the aim will be to implement changes in a way which does not lead to any reduction in the level of direct work with young people,” the document states.

“The planned management cost reductions will release sufficient funding to enable a small increase in the budget for front-line youth work.”

??The council said the reorganisation would protect frontline staff, allow for development of closer working relationships with the charitable and voluntary sector, and bring a more focused approach to delivering the service to disadvantaged and vulnerable young people.

??Robert Arckless, lead member for children’s services at the council, said: “Although the newly identified areas all present their own individual challenges, the development of the service will be guided by the same key principles as before, with the primary focus being on those young people who are most at risk of poor social and educational outcomes.?

???“Partnership working will continue to be at the core of everything the service does to allow closer links with charitable, community and voluntary groups to support their delivery of youth work, and to make best use of reduced public funding.” ??

A consultation on the proposals, which aimed to gather the views of young people living in the proposed three locality areas, ran last month