The over-subscribed event built on over a decade of the National Youth Agency and Local Government Association working together and was held at Local Government House in London. It provided 85 representatives from different councils and local authorities from across the country with the opportunity to discuss, reflect on and explore the shape and provision of services for young people in the post-spending review landscape.
Opened by Baroness Shireen Ritchie and chaired by councillor David Bellotti, potential solutions to the challenges experienced by local authorities across the country were put forward by keynote speakers, including children's minister Tim Loughton, National Youth Agency chief executive Fiona Blacke, Fairbridge's John Loughton, and National Youth Agency trainee Jodie McNamara.
Attendees also heard frontline case studies from Leeds City Council's John Paxton and assistant director of youth services for Sheffield City Council Andy Peaden, who demonstrated how their multi-partner, co-creation approaches are transforming the way in which their youth service is delivered.
In his address, Tim Loughton described how the new, independently run Big Society Bank will use millions of pounds from dormant bank accounts to help fund charities and social enterprise projects and that he wanted to see "high-quality youth-focused projects at the front of the queue for these funds, and those available through the early intervention grant and the National Citizen Service programme".
Following the presentations, attendees discussed their individual challenges and how they now intend to approach them. Discussions centred on exploring new partnerships and innovative models of financing services for young people.
The National Youth Agency and Local Government Association will be building on these ideas in their work together in the coming year.
For further information on the work undertaken by the National Youth Agency on behalf of the Local Government Association, visit www.nya.org.uk/policy/lga-work.
