Councils can be the glue in minister's youth work vision

In January, Michael Gove made the most dismal statement of the present parliament when he said that youth policy was "not a central government priority". This was not surprising, as he had never shown any interest in youth work. In July, youth policy was transferred to the Cabinet Office, showing that there is a youth lobby buried somewhere deep inside the coalition. But when an old Etonian and ex-member of the Bullingdon Club, Nick Hurd, was given responsibility, a lot of people thought there were not many more nails left to hammer into the coffin of youth work.

My expectations were low, then, when I saw Nick Hurd was to speak at the Children & Young People Now Awards. I was expecting a non-speech of the sort that I have heard too often over the years. But against all expectations, Hurd was articulate and passionate about youth work, speaking in an engaging way about his recent direct experiences, and a clear focus on the young people who need this service the most. He has visited youth work in areas with a strong gang culture, areas where the dysfunctional social relationships and routine sexual violence described by the deputy children's commissioner Sue Berelowitz are endemic. What he said showed a real understanding of the issues. While there is many a slip between the cup of understanding and the lip of action, I would rather have a minister in the Cabinet Office who cares about the issues than one in the Department for Education who does not.