NCS secures £100m in Spending Review

The review, announced by Rishi Sunak yesterday, does not give an exact figure of funding to be awarded to the NCS but states that "almost £100m" will be used to deliver the annual flagship youth social action programme and “invest in youth facilities”.

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The government will review its programmes to support youth services, including the NCS, in the spring, the review adds.

The NCS has pledged to use the funding to “support the work of the wider youth sector as well as schools and colleges across the country”.

The government has also announced a £16.5m youth Covid-19 Support Fund “to protect the immediate future of grassroots and national youth organisations across the country” and pledged additional support for its Kickstart jobs scheme to fund employment opportunities for young people.

Laying out its plan for next year, the NCS has said it aims to:

• Tackle youth unemployment, both through actively engaging in the government’s Kickstart scheme and in continuing to help teens from diverse backgrounds become "work-ready and world-ready".

• Helping young people stay connected, engaged, informed and entertained through our online digital resources.

• Further supporting local communities through social action and doing good, whilst actively engaging in the wider youth sector, supporting the #iwill movement and the Back Youth Alliance.

Mark Gifford, chief executive of the NCS Trust, said: “We welcome the announcement by HM Treasury that NCS Trust has secured funding for 2021. The Trust, like many public sector organisations relying on government funding, has already been operating within significant budget constraints.

“NCS is more determined than ever to play an important role in helping to get the country back on its feet. We will work to provide crucial life skills and support to young people while ensuring we continue to offer value for money to the taxpayer.

“Over the coming weeks, we will be working through the details of our plans with partners, looking to support as many young people as possible through our programmes and the work NCS delivers across the regions. 

“We are optimistic about the future for NCS and for the young people of our country as we emerge from the shadow of Covid. We look forward to continuing to deliver our vision of ‘a country of connected, confident, and caring citizens where everyone feels at home'.”

The NCS Trust was forced to cancel this year’s summer and autumn residential programmes due to the pandemic, instead introducing ‘volunteer at home’ schemes in order to boost youth participation on the frontline of the crisis.

Meanwhile, youth work organisations have criticised the government over its failure to release a £500m Youth Investment Fund promised in last year’s Conservative Party manifesto amid fears organisations “are on the brink of collapse” due to the impact of the pandemic.