Bristol: Youth workers criticise planned cuts to services

Youth workers say services will be "dismantled" by planned cuts

Youth services will be "dismantled" by changes to the way council funding is allocated, providers claim.

Those working with vulnerable young people say the plan to switch from a contract-based system to grants could cause their clients long-term harm.

Providers say one-to-one support sessions might have to be scrapped.

Bristol City Council says it is moving towards a "blended youth work model" but denies one-to-one sessions will be dropped entirely.

The council is planning to cut youth services over the next three years due to growing pressure on its budget.

Funding is set to drop from £1.42m annually in 2023/24, to £1.23m the following year, and then to £825,000 from 2025/26, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A report to the council acknowledged the cuts mean the number of young people supported by the council may reduce.

But £400,000 in funding has been ear-marked for a new Youth Zone in south Bristol.

The centre would feature a number of sports facilities, as well as arts-and-crafts rooms, workshop space and a cafe serving hot meals for no more than £1.

'Profoundly wrong'

Campaigners say the Youth Zone will come at the expense of young people in the north of the city.

Mark Coates, chief executive of Bristol's main provider Creative Youth Network (CYN), said it could be forced to make redundancies.

He told the council meeting on Tuesday the organisation had an "outstanding" youth service.

"As a result of tonight's decisions, that service will be dismantled and replaced by something very different and much smaller scale," he said.

Mr Coates continued: "The new grants will not fund any one-to-one support for young people.

"Funding is of course ridiculously tight, and we fully accept one-to-one support has to reduce, but to discontinue it entirely feels profoundly wrong."

Mark Coates of the Creative Youth Network

He said those receiving this kind of support were often "very complex safeguarding cases".

Elle Williams, a youth worker, told the meeting: "In north Bristol, young people who are often in crisis due to poor mental health, isolation, discrimination and bullying won't have a one-to-one service to go to because the funding won't be there.

"I can't see how those one-to-ones that we work with currently are going to go to these youth groups you're talking about if they can't even leave their bedrooms."

A statement signed by 29 local organisations said they were "alarmed" by the level of cuts.

Deputy Mayor Asher Craig said the council was moving towards a "a blended youth work" model

The deputy mayor, Labour councillor Asher Craig, said: "Work is ongoing to agree funding splits across the areas and the north will not be disadvantaged.

"Indeed our medium-term commitment is to fund a second Youth Zone in the north of the city and we hope this is taken forward by a future administration.

"One-to-one support is an unsustainable model and our intention is to move towards a blended youth work model that delivers support earlier."

Ms Craig said the plan did still include one-to-one support, but added: "It may not be at the same level, the money is not there."

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