YMCA England and Wales have launched a national ‘D£VALUED’ report this week, highlighting the impact of a decade of cuts on youth services and analysing the effects over the past ten years.
The report looks not only at the national picture but also the regions where young people have been most affected in recent years. It also includes, for the first time, analysis on how widely spend per 5- to-17-year-old differs across local authorities, exposing the disparity in opportunities available for them depending on where they live.
Research reveals that not only have funding cuts now reached £1.1bn (a real-terms fall of 74% since 2010/11) but annual spend per head on 5-to-17-year-olds in England has plummeted from £158 in 2010/11 to just £37 in 2020/21.
As the longest provider of youth services in England and Wales, YMCA has tracked the real-terms decline in youth services funding over the past several years. However, the latest figures from 2020/21 are especially significant in not only highlighting the fallout from a global pandemic, but also the harsh reality of a generation experiencing devastating cuts.
From a regional perspective, the difference in location is substantial. Those less acutely affected in the East of England saw funding fall in real-terms by 63% and by 68% in Outer London since 2010/11. Comparatively however, expenditure has fallen in real-terms by 88% in the West Midlands, 83% in the North East and 77% in the South East.
In addition to cuts in spending to youth services, young people have spent the past two years adjusting to periods of staying at home, limited social interaction, education anxieties, and a whole host of worries. Simultaneously for the sector, the pandemic meant a shift in how youth services operated, placing significant pressure on their ability to support young people through these difficult transitions.
However, YMCA Norfolk were able to adapt and extend their delivery across their services, including the transition of youth clubs to online platforms and meet a rise in the demand for mental health support services.
John Lee, YMCA Norfolk CEO, said:
“D£VALUED recognises that East of England is one of the areas in the UK with the lowest investment in youth services. The report also highlights a dramatic fall in funding in Norfolk over the last 10 years. This is at a time when the challenges faced by young people are increasing, including accessing support because of long waiting lists or a lack of services where they live.
“Many providers of youth services only have access to short term funding, often for a year at a time making it incredibly difficult to run services sustainably. Youth services, support and advice are essential for young people and need to be valued as such. An investment into Norfolk’s young people is an investment into the future of our county.”
As the Government to address this issue through the youth investment fund, YMCAs across the country are urging them to unlock further finance for areas in most critical need, thereby breathing new life into this vital sector through targeted programmes, universal youth services and experienced youth workers across England and Wales.
Charlie Smith, YMCA Norfolk Youth and Communities Team Partnerships Manager, said:
“All young people deserve access to the services capable of empowering them to achieve a bright future. We cannot let location, background or any other factors dictate these opportunities, and we must no longer expect youth service providers to remain in survival mode as long-term funding streams continue to be squeezed.
“While we are extremely grateful for the relationships and support we currently receive from local government, funders and partners in Norfolk and beyond, crucial and proportional investment is needed to ensure all young people have equal opportunities, especially as we emerge from such a difficult two years.”
ENDS
For more information or interview requests, please contact harriet.king@ymcanorfolk.org
*A full report including graphs, tables and local authority spend is available on request.