As well as closing all of its youth centres across the county at the end of December, it has emerged that Staffordshire County Council will also stop funding activities and forums that help to give young people a voice.
Staffordshire County Council will end funding for its local Youth Forums, while the Youth Action Kouncil (sic) is also understood to be ending as a face-to-face meeting, with a possibility of a move to a solely online resource.
The county council’s website says the youth forums “provide young people with the opportunity to develop and shape decisions that affect them in their local area”, while the Youth Action Kouncil “gives young people a voice and allows them to have their say on things which affect them and their friends. It’s a chance to get involved in developing and shaping decisions that affect them”.
The Save Staffordshire Youth Service campaign group also says the county council will not fund the elections for Youth Parliament in 2015 and will ‘pause’ the scheme in Staffordshire indefinitely.
The decisions came to light at a private SAB (Staffordshire Advisory Body) meeting on Monday evening, a meeting attended by members of the Youth Action Kouncil and Staffordshire’s Youth Parliament representatives.
Campaign lead for the Save Staffordshire Youth Service campaign group, Jack Taylor from Stone, said today: “This is such sad news that not only are we losing our youth services after 75 years but we are now losing our youth involvement services as well, meaning young people in Staffordshire will no longer have a voice.
“Staffordshire County Council said in the public consultation earlier this year that the ‘Democratic Youth Offer’ would be sustained by the Council and they have turned their back once again on this. I believe that young people in Staffordshire have no way of getting their voice heard and Staffordshire is stepping back in time.”
Stafford Borough Councillor Rowan Draper called for the county council to reconsider the decision to cut youth involvement funding. He said: “Councillors should consider the message this sends to young people in this county.”
Mark Sutton, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet support member for social and health care, said: “We have supported various traditional youth forums and meetings, but at a current cost of about £80,000 per annum for 130 regular participants, this simply doesn’t represent value for money at a time when every pound must have maximum impact.
“Staffordshire County Council is committed to hearing the voice of young people and regularly consults with them, both by itself and jointly with partners such as the police. Young people will still have opportunities to take part in the democratic process, albeit differently.”
Save Staffordshire Youth Services has set up an online petition – https://moderngov.staffordshire.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?id=108
Stone Town Council will be making a bid to take on Stone youth centre when it is closed by the county council on 31st December. Their bid has to be submitted by 5th December, with the winning bidder announced later in the month ahead of them taking on the centre from 1st January. Full details here – www.alittlebitofstone.com/2014/11/14/town-council-to-make-bid-for-youth-centre/
- jack taylor
- Mark Sutton
- Rowan Draper
- Staffordshire County Council
- Stone Town Council
- Stone Youth Centre
- youth service
