Minister 'very disappointed' with council youth service cuts

Wilson, the Conservative MP for Reading East, made the comments in parliament in response to a series of questions about the National Citizen Service (NCS).

Labour MP Andrew Gwynne asked what, in light of the fact that youth services in England have experienced cuts almost three times greater than overall cuts to local authorities, Wilson is doing to make sure that young people "have valuable activities all year round, not just through the NCS".

Wilson said that the NCS is "complementary to, not a replacement for", local government services, adding that it "consistently demonstrates its positive impact on participants and value for money".

"I find it very disappointing that local councils are making the choice to cut youth services, but we in the Cabinet Office are supporting local authorities through programmes such as the Centre for Youth Impact and Delivering Differently for Young People," he said.

Wilson's comments come against a backdrop of massive cuts in spending on youth services by local authorities.

Youth services spending by councils fell from £1.2bn to £712m in 2013/14 according to spending data submitted to government.

Wilson was also asked about the number of young people from deprived backgrounds taking part in the NCS by Labour MP for Hove Peter Kyle.

Wilson pointed to the fact that in 2013, 16 per cent of NCS participants were in receipt of free school meals, which compares with a figure of about eight per cent of 16- to 17-year-olds in the general population.

"Despite this great success, I still want to go further in reaching out to more young people who face big challenges in life," he said.

Speaking to CYP Now, Kyle said he is concerned that the scheme is not reaching young people that need it most.