Oxford youth workers criticise 'disastrous' funding cuts

Support groups in Oxfordshire have raised concerns over the impact on future generations of young people

Youth workers are warning of the "disastrous" long-term effects of government cuts to youth services.

Support groups in Oxfordshire have raised concerns over the impact on future generations of young people.

It comes after the YMCA released a plea to the government to "safeguard the future of youth services".

A government spokesperson said more than £1.1bn had been allocated to the youth sector in England between 2015 and 2021.

Nafeesa Hussain, a youth worker in east Oxford, said it had "never been more difficult" to get funding.

She said: "It's been disastrous and I would say over the past four or five years, it's been 10 times worse."

Last year, Ms Hussain applied for £20,000 of funding and was offered £700.

She added: "Because of the cuts in funding, quite often youth organisations aren't even visible anymore. Lots of young people don't even know that we exist."

Ryan Goodenough said the lack of funding meant children using services across Oxfordshire were "losing hope"

Tim Parkhouse, the founder of community interest company Get Fed, has been a youth worker in Banbury since 1999.

"These are some of the most vulnerable kids in the community," he said.

"The youth clubs close, but those kids don't just disappear.

"It does feel like we've made a short-term cut in funding and stored up a lot of long term costs for us. And that's not just monetary costs, that's social costs. That's real people's lives."

A report by the YMCA in 2020 showed there was a 71% cut to youth service funding between 2010 and 2019 in the south east of England.

Ryan Goodenough has been working with young people across Oxfordshire for two years and said these funding cuts meant children were "losing hope".

He explained: "The impact that's having on children directly is they're not thinking there's any light at the end of the tunnel.

"We're seeing an increase in self-harm. We've seen an increase in hospital referrals, we're seeing a sharp rise in undiagnosed special educational needs."

A report by the YMCA showed there was a 71% cut to youth service funding between 2010 and 2019 in the south east of England

Denise Hatton, chief executive of YMCA England & Wales, said: "Youth services are not a luxury, but the bedrock of a prosperous future.

"It's not just an investment in youth services, it's an investment in the heart and soul of our nation's young people."

A government spokesperson said local authorities have a "statutory duty to ensure young people can access youth services".

They said: "The government is delivering an above inflation increase in funding for councils to over £64bn for 2024/25.

"We are also investing over £500 million to deliver the National Youth Guarantee, so that by 2025 every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer."

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