Council recommissions youth services mutual in £10m deal
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Devon County Council has recommissioned a public sector mutual to run its youth services in a deal that could exceed £10m over the next five years.
Space* Youth Services was first appointed by the council to run its youth services for three years in April 2017. This followed a period of youth club closures and job losses in the county and the transfer of all of the council’s remaining youth service staff to the new organisation.
Following a recommissioning process the mutual has been handed a new contract to start from April next year. This will run for an initial period of three years and could run for a further two years.
The total value of the contract if extended until 2025 is in excess of £10m.
The work sees the mutual continue to focus on providing open-access youth work, through the county’s eight youth centres.
It will also provide targeted youth work, support local youth charities and groups, provide education support and help young people with special educational needs take part in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme.
“Our staff have worked incredibly hard over the past three years and we’re looking forward to expanding further opportunities for young people,” said Space* Youth Services chief executive Kev Henman.
Space* is a registered charity and company under the name DYS Space Ltd. According to the latest Charity Commission records it has eight trustees, employs 91 people and has 25 volunteers.
Melanie Walker, the chair of the mutual’s board of trustees, said the council’s decision is a “fantastic opportunity to further the work already begun to support young people across Devon”.
She added: “This new contract will enable Space* to continue its innovative work with partners and young people.”
Recent work by Space* has included helping young people to take over the running of the county’s youth centres including youth sessions for the day. This was part of Devon County Council’s Takeover Challenge in November, which promoted children’s and youth participation in local services and decision making.
