Rural youth clubs at risk as council considers major budget reduction
Joe Lepper
Friday, October 13, 2017
A council is considering ending funding for youth clubs and activities in some of its most rural areas as part of cost-cutting plans.
Shropshire County Council wants to cut its commissioning budget for youth activities from £234,950 to £135,000 - a reduction of 42.5 per cent - focusing the remaining resources on six geographic areas.
These have been chosen based on the proportion of children and young people who receive free school meals in each area, with rurality no longer considered a priority for youth services funding.
This will leave 12 other areas such as Wem and Shawbury, which had previously received money from the council to run two youth clubs, without any funding.
A further five youth clubs in other rural areas will also see their funding end. The number of youth clubs supported in two of the areas where funding is to continue will also be cut.
Current funding for Shrewsbury supports seven youth clubs, but its proposed funding of £45,000 under the proposals, will only support five.
In Oswestry, which is among five areas to receive £18,000 under the proposals, the number of youth clubs supported will be halved from four to two.
"The revised funding proposals will result in six local joint committee areas receiving a funding allocation rather than the current 18 areas," a report on the proposals, which will be presented to the council's cabinet next week, states.
"This results from the proposed removal of rurality funding allocations and the refocussing of resources to the main market towns where the needs of young people are the greatest."
The report adds that officers believe the six areas where funding is to continue have "the least possibility of provision being picked up locally independent of council support, at least in the short term".
The council intends to run a six-week online consultation on the plans.
According to the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission's 2016 Social Mobility Index young people in rural areas are among those who face the greatest struggle in terms of social mobility, due to poor transport links and access to employment and education opportunities.
