Protest over cuts to 'vital' youth services

A protest march supported by Unite the Union took place on Tuesday morning

Protesters have marched through Birmingham city centre over fears ‘vital’ services for children could be cut.

Birmingham City Council is preparing to set out how it will plug a £300m funding gap in its delayed budget – which is due to be signed off early next month.

Full details of how the money will be saved are yet to be released, but early indications have been that services for children and young people are likely to be hit particularly hard.

Around 1,000 people have signed a petition opposing possible cuts to youth services and a protest march took place on Tuesday morning, starting at the Library of Birmingham and ending at Birmingham Council House.

A £57m budget cut has been planned for the children and families department according to one document published on the council’s website.

Hamaam Shire attended the protest and spoke about how youth centres had benefitted him.

'Makes absolutely no sense'

At the protest, many young people talked about how youth centres had been a lifeline for them, by providing a space where they could make friends and find support.

“I’ve been using a youth centre for two years. I’ve had problems within my home life, I’ve had problems at school and worries, and I’ve always had a trusted adult to speak to [there]," said 18-year-old Hamaam Shire.

Kerry Jenkins, Labour councillor for Moseley, also attended the protest and said the council should not cut frontline services for young people.

“Ultimately, young people in this city did not cause the financial mess that this council finds themselves in,” she told BBC Radio WM.

She added that the current process for finding cuts was happening “with a silo mentality”, with departments being told to find cuts separately.

‘Unsettling time’

Lee Wiggetts-Clinton from Unite the Union, which supported the march said: “It makes absolutely no sense to further destroy this vital service."

He added that it saved public money in the long run, by helping at-risk teens avoid crime and exploitation.

Birmingham City Council declared effective bankruptcy in September after financial challenges were compounded by a £760m equal pay bill and an £80m overspend on an IT project.

Central government recently gave the council special permission to increase council tax by up to 10% to raise additional funds. Any rise above 5% would usually trigger a local referendum.

A statement from Birmingham City Council said it realised this was an "unsettling time" for residents.

It added: “As we review the saving proposals for the children, young people and families directorate, it will be inevitable that services will need to be changed as a result, and this process allows us to continue making improvements to provide efficient services.

“We will do all we can to minimise the impact during this difficult time and continue to prioritise the services for the most vulnerable residents in the city.”

If cuts to council-funded youth services go ahead, it could also mean that other types of clubs have to cope with high levels of demand, one youth worker said.

"This will only heap more pressure up on privately-run youth clubs [and] charities," said Robert Green, a leader at The Stonehouse Gang club in Selly Oak.