Council to boost youth work spending by £90K

Proposals set to be considered by members of Brighton and Hove Council next Thursday (22 February) will see the extra money handed to local youth work providers.

A "cross party youth group", set up in Brighton last year to bring politicians and young people together, will decide how the additional funding should be spent.

"The £90k proposal will be discussed at the next cross party youth group, which includes representatives from the three political groups and from various youth groups across the city," a council spokesman said.

"It is this group which will be recommending how this additional money should be prioritised."

The proposals to invest additional money in youth services comes against a backdrop of funding cuts across many youth services across England.

Figures published last November revealed that the amount councils spent on youth services decreased by more than a half (53.6 per cent) in the space of seven years.

Adam Muirhead, chair of the Institute for Youth Work, said he welcomed Brighton and Hove's decision to buck the national trend.

"Local politicians from across different parties in Brighton and Hove have really tried to listen to young people," he said.

"They have then put their money where their mouth is by being supportive of young people, empowering them and protective of youth services."

The £90,000 extra spend on youth work is part of a package of additional funding, worth £460,000, to improve support for young people in Brighton and Hove.

This includes £90,000 for short breaks and day support for young people with learning disabilities, as well as £40,000 to support young people struggling with or at risk of substance misuse.

In addition, a mental health support scheme for secondary school children is to receive an extra £70,000 to extend its reach into further education colleges to support 16- to 19-year-olds.

The council is also expected to approve plans to spend £156,000 to tackle the exploitation of children and vulnerable young people through so-called "county lines" crime. Part of this money will be spent on targeted youth work.

"Professionals across the city are becoming increasingly concerned about young people being drawn into criminal exploitation and in particular drug-related ‘county lines' co-ordinated by largely London-based gangs," according to a report presented to councillors.