Youth services in North West England 'need salaries, not bricks'

Regulars at HideOut Youth Zone in Gorton said they did not know what they would do without it

Youth services in the North West have faced cuts in recent years, with spending falling by 70% since 2010.

The government's "levelling up" strategy included details of plans for the sector, after it was revealed that funding for youth clubs promised in 2019 had not yet been spent.

The plan revealed 45 authorities were eligible to apply for a share of £378m.

Leigh Middleton, chief executive of the National Youth Agency (NYA), said the funds were "welcomed" but "limited".

"Our concern is there is a group of young people who will fall through the net," he said.

"The government did a lot of consultation and engagement with the whole of the youth sector and overwhelmingly we said we need to fund people, not buildings.

"We need salaries, not bricks."

NYA figures show that youth service spending across the country dropped from £1.2bn in 2010-11 to £379m in 2020-21.

Spending per young person in the North West has fallen from £287.03 to £86.32 in the same period.

All areas of the region have seen cuts, but some have been more dramatic than others.

In Blackpool, spending per person went from £362.37 to £272.21 in the period.

In nearby Sefton though, it fell from £293.12 to £30.88.

Youth worker Joe Amos said it was great to give back to the community he grew up in

Yet young people who are using the remaining services say they have a big impact.

Fifteen-year-old Aliyah is a regular at HideOut Youth Zone in Gorton, Manchester, and has begun volunteering there, gaining climbing and leadership qualifications in the process.

She said she did not know what she would "be doing if it wasn't for this place".

"I don't think I'd be as confident as I am now," she said.

"I cared a lot about what people thought about me, but now I just do what I want to do."

• 'Levelling up' plan for UK unveiled by government

• What is levelling up and how is it going?

• Rotheram backs 'levelling up' plan for more mayors

Sixteen-year-olds Brayden and Shanay and Alissia, 14, are also regulars.

Alissia said the staff there were very supportive, while Shanay said it had helped her come out of herself, as "my confidence has increased and I'm just me".

Brayden said the centre had given him new opportunities.

"When I first thought about the idea of youth zone, I thought 'it seems a bit childish', but when you actually start doing it, it's really good for your mental health, getting out and doing exercise," he said.

Youth worker Joe Amos said he showed exactly how well it worked.

"I grew up half a mile down the road from where this centre is, I'm a product of youth work myself, I got involved in youth work when I was 13 and I'm in my 30s now," he said.

"It's great to give back to the local community."

Stuart Barnes said there was evidence the youth zone model delivered "quite a return on investment for the public purse"

In Birkenhead, the Hive has a range of facilities, including a climbing wall, music room and hair salon.

Steve Anderton, the site's senior lead youth worker, said the activities were "just a hook for us to be able to build those relationships and get the rapport with young people, so we can do effective youth work with them".

"We can help shape young people to be the people that they want to be, the ones that they choose to be, rather than what society expects them to be," he said.

However, the centre's chief executive, Stuart Barnes, said the current funding situation was "very challenging".

"We're losing more money via the local authority this financial year, because of the pressures on them," he said.

He said there was "a lot of evidence" that the youth zone model delivered "quite a return on investment for the public purse" and that a recent fire service report had shown a reduction in deliberate fires within a mile of the centre, which represented a saving of almost £500,000.

HideOut and the Hive are both part of the OnSide network, a collaboration between 14 charities that run youth facilities.

Chief executive Kathryn Morley said they needed support from local authorities, because "not only do they bring some of the capital funding and help with some of the revenue funding, they also provide a site".

"Funding is always a challenge for voluntary sector organisations... and we believe we've got a quite special innovative model that involves a lot of the private sector, business leaders, individuals who've set up and run their own business locally, or who've come from that area," she said.

Ruben, the member of youth parliament for Crewe, is passionate about the creation of a youth centre in the town

Mr Middleton said funding varied widely from area to area, but the services were vital.

"Over the last 10 years... we've seen about a third of local authorities reduce their provision to nothing, and the voluntary sector stepping in and trying to fill the gaps in between, so the picture across the region is very different and very patchy depending on where you live," he said.

However, plans are already under way to open more youth centres in the North West.

In Cheshire, a site is due to open in Warrington later in the year and there are also proposals for a centre in Crewe.

Sixteen-year-old Ruben, the member of youth parliament for Crewe, said many councils state that they want "a brighter future and ultimately that future does rest on in the hands of our young people".

"If our young people don't have a grounding and foundation in life, then they're not going to go on to have bright futures," he said.

"What we need to do is make sure young people are heard and listened to in the creation of services that will benefit them."

You can see more on this story on Politics North West on BBC One at 10:00 GMT on Sunday 6 February and hear more on BBC Radio Merseyside from 16:00 on Friday 4 February.