Council slammed over Crawley youth cuts
THE county council has been accused of failing young people after it decided youth centres must "become more self-funding".
The council claims the move is a "new direction" to "reshape" services and "involve young people more".
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ANGER: Cllr Chris Oxlade
But opposition councillors insist the changes actually mean the "annihilation" of Crawley youth services, including the closure of either Ifield or Oriel youth wing, unless a community group takes over funding and management.
Labour Councillor Chris Oxlade said: "They are playing politics with young people's lives. This is being presented as a good thing but it's simply not.
"The £2 million cuts look good for the council in the short term but the long-term effect could be disastrous for Crawley."
On Friday Cllr Pete Bradbury, West Sussex County Council member for children and families, approved the planned cuts, which are mostly aimed at youth centres and advice service Connexions.
Various youth services will be combined and staff numbers will be cut, with the new-look system in place by next April.
The council says more services will "come from within communities", in keeping with the Government's "Big Society" goal.
Under the plan, local groups will be encouraged to fund themselves or apply for external grants rather than relying on council cash.
Despite council calls for more community involvement, voluntary groups supported by the council, such as Crawley Youth Centre in West Green, have been warned to expect "reductions in revenue and staffing costs".
Speaking about the speed of the cost-cutting drive, Cllr Oxlade added: "I'm seething about the way this has been pushed through in three months with little consultation and very few of our questions answered.
"I have serious concerns about how these cuts will fall in Crawley and how many staff will be disposed of.
"In principle, it makes sense to streamline youth services but in Crawley they are already streamlined and there isn't much we can sensibly cut."
Cllr Oxlade also raised concerns over child protection, saying the council's standard criminal record checks on staff would not apply to centres run by community groups.
Explaining the changes, Cllr Bradbury said: "It's no secret the county council has to make huge financial savings and find new ways of working.
"Every service is being looked at in turn, to make sure it is as efficient as possible.
"I am confident the new-look youth service will ensure that young people are involved in designing and evaluating services they believe are more tailored to their needs.
"We will focus our resources at communities most in need across West Sussex.
"In those areas where we cannot provide, we will play a key role to enable communities and other partners to run youth services themselves, very much part of the Big Society agenda."
The council says it will focus on vulnerable young people such as offenders, looked-after children and those with drug or alcohol problems.
The list of targeted groups also includes teenage parents – but £90,000 of the cuts will hit the council's budget for reducing teenage pregnancies.
Leaked document shows threatened centres are town's most popular:
TWO town youth centres threatened with closure are the MOST used in Crawley, the News can reveal.
Figures leaked to this paper show Oriel Youth Wing has attracted more visitors this year than any other, with Ifield Youth Wing in second place.
From January 1 to July 12 this year, the Oriel and Ifield centres welcomed 454 and 381 individual youngsters respectively.
No other town youth centre attracted more than 300 visitors.
Last month youngsters at Oriel Youth Wing said they faced losing a “chuck of their life” if the centre closed.
Stuart Bayliss, from Maidenbower, is leading a campaign to save the centre.
The 19-year-old said: “This is a centre for everyone in Crawley, not just the students of Oriel and the youth wing is widely used by everyone. To lose it would be awful.
“We are the only youth centre for the east of Crawley and we have so many positive projects taking place here.”
Cutting the budget:
THE county council aims to save £2 million in its youth services budget in 2010-11 and 2011-12 combined.
Connexions, the support service for 13-19-year-olds, will take the biggest hit, with staff reductions central to a saving of £910,000.
Youth centres are the other key target, making up £800,000 of the county-wide cuts. That money will be saved by funding fewer centres, cutting projects and staff and reducing running costs.
In Crawley, that means either Oriel or Ifield youth wing will close unless a community group takes over.
The council will also make smaller savings in a number of areas including tackling teen pregnancy and grants for voluntary groups.
7 Comments
by S, Maidenbower
Monday, August 09 2010, 10:45AM
“JB, I agree totally! I am a volunteer at Oriel Youth Wing and I am leading the campaign as you can see in the article above. Without this kind of youth centre in this area, many young people will almost certainly have nowhere they can go to talk to trained professionals about genuine friendship problems, sexual heath and guidance etc, it is also somewhere to socialise that is monitored and challenged, behavioural support can be given and it also gives young people opportunities in their spare time as they are able to take part in different workshops, qualifications etc.
Your views G, are very old fashioned. I think that the idea that parents can run a youth club is probably a possibility, however it would not be able to deliver the kind of direct youth work that we see here today.
In response to your petty stab at the Labour party policies, Oxlade would not have been able to change his parties direction as we are/were in a global financial crisis.”
by JB, Maidenbower
Monday, August 09 2010, 8:35AM
“G clearly you know very little about the operation youth clubs! Firstly it is a place for young people to go to away from the home and parents almost a sanctuary where they can socialise with other kids. Secondly council run youth clubs rely heavily on volunteers, many of them parents. Having the council behind the organisation gives some form of regulation and control, as well as basic financial support. Why are centres in smaller neighbourhoods, some having more than one youth facility, not been considered for closure rather than closing the ONE facility we have covering the largest neighbourhood in Crawley? Crazy and extremely unfair decision which I sincerely hope our elected Councillors will fight.”
by G, Sussex
Sunday, August 08 2010, 10:48PM
“Youth centres and youth clubs can be run perfectly well by local residents without any interference from the council.
Why is that a bad thing?
Giving yoofs exactly what they want is probably not the same as giving them something that would benefit them.
Oxlade didnt exactly speak up about the labour parties spend spend spend policies at the time did he.”
by S, Maidenbower
Friday, August 06 2010, 7:21PM
“Because parents don't neccesarily have the right skills etc to be able to deliver the level of direct targeted work that is currently being carried out.
To say that people can function perfectly well without these kinds of facilities is very tunnelled visioned. The work that takes place at Oriel and other youth centres around the town is amazing and meets the needs of the young people in their areas.
I think that Chris Oxlade is a fantastic councillor representing the views of his people, rather than that directly of his party. He is committed and hard working and in full support of our youth centres, doing what he believes the people of Crawley want, as a member of the opposition and representative of the people within the council.”
by G, Sussex
Friday, August 06 2010, 10:30AM
“Novel thought but how about the parents actually occupying their children with activities that are interesting and stimulating.
Failing that why dont a group of parents get together and start their own yoof group without any public money or state interference.”
by JB, Maidenbower
Friday, August 06 2010, 8:30AM
“The residents of Maidenbower, myself included, have campaigned for youth provision since the very first house was built here. We are the largest neighbourhood in Crawley and from day one have had nothing at all here for our kids. The cubs and brownies have no building of their own, they have had to use the pavilion building working out of boxes they bring to each meeting. Then Oriel opened after 15 years of nothing. Now its being taken away. I'm disgusted by the Councils decision. Kids here will once again have nothing to do, no where to go. Please think again before withdrawing support for this vital facility which we all fought so hard to bring about.”
by G, Sussex
Thursday, August 05 2010, 10:41PM
“Socialists like Oxlade cant understand that people can function perfectly well without nanny state intervention at every opportunity.
Oxlade also seems to forget that it is because of his socialist comrades in the labour party spending money that we dont have that has caused this problem.”