Agenda item

To submit a report by the Head of Learning.

Submitted – the report of the Head of Learning in relation to the above.

It was reported that as a result of the Corporate Plan and the needs of the service, a detailed review of the Youth Service was carried out from 2013/14 and five options were identified for the future development of the service.  Different scenarios were identified which could be delivered with between 28% and 67% efficiency savings. An extensive consultation was carried out with over 1,000 young people during the autumn of 2015.  With the remaining options, a Youth Conference was held on the 24^th September, 2016 and 54 young people attended, with a cross section of the 11 to 25 age group from all parts of the Island.  The service options were also presented to staff in the Staff Seminar on the 8^th October, 2016.

In 2013/14 the Lifelong Learning were tasked to find possible cuts of between 10% and 60% in the youth service budget; the net budget for the Youth Service at the time was £560,170.  A breakdown of the potential cuts models/options were highlighted within the report. 

During the second consultation the following issues were highlighted :-

·           The two youth clubs for young people who have special educational needs should be kept open;

·           No support for lunchtime accreditation clubs;

·           They were unwilling to travel to a town based if the village club closed;

·           The clubs should be run by qualified/experienced youth workers, not volunteers;

·           Small youth clubs should not be closed down completely in order to keep the large clubs open twice a week;

·           It is important that youth workers speak Welsh;

·           It is important to have a youth worker in every school;

·           They were angry/disappointed that the Council was making cuts to the youth service.

The Principal Youth Worker said that it is considered that there are risks within the remodelling due to the changes to the part-time staff posts and losing qualified staff with substantial experience.  In addition, the same provision will not be available to young people in rural communities, although contact with Youth Workers will be more accessible as they will be working more closely with schools. 

Issues raised by Members :-

·           Young people are afforded valuable opportunities within youth clubs and there is a need to protect the service;

·           The Isle of Anglesey Charitable Trust has recently supported a grant application by the Young Farmers Organisation and the Urdd but youth clubs do not have such an avenue of grant funding;

·           Young people who attend their village youth clubs are unwilling to travel to youth clubs located in town locations as their affiliation and ownership of their youth club is paramount.  The closure of community youth clubs may result in the congregation of young people causing antisocial behaviour within the community due to lack of a place for them to socialise; some villages do not have a local Young Farmers Club nor a Urdd facility;

·           The reduction in community youth clubs would deprive young people of cultural and historical visits to different locations within the UK;

·           Young people have the opportunity to discuss a variety of different subjects i.e. bullying, sex education, abuse, drugs and alcohol problems etc.;

·           Questions were asked whether youth clubs could take over/help with some elements of the Welsh Baccalaureate i.e. community voluntary work.  The Principal Youth Officer responded that locating Youth Workers within secondary schools would afford young people a contact link for voluntary/community work;

·           Under the new arrangement young people would continue to have the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme within their school in all but one of the service options;

·           Young people are afforded the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme within the youth clubs;

·           Recently an after school facility for children and young people has been opened in Holyhead by Communities First.  The ‘Holyhead Pod’ affords activities for young people to await until parents/carers are home from work.  Questions were raised as to whether such a facility would affect the attendance levels of the youth club at Jesse Hughes Centre.  The Principal Youth Officer said that the ‘Holyhead Pod’ facility attracts children and young people who come from school rather than the youth club which is open later in the evening.  Members suggested that a ‘Pod’ facility could be beneficial in other towns/communities on the Island.  The Principal Youth Officer responded that duplication of services needed to be considered before considering such a ‘Pod’ facility when there is an youth club within a town location;

·           Concerns raised that the Executive has decided not to discuss the future of the Youth Services until after the Council’s Budget Consultation has taken place. 

It was RESOLVED to recommend to the Executive :-

·           That Option 1, a cut of the minimum of 28%, be the Partnership and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee’s preferred option;

·           To express concern that the Executive will not consider the matter until February 2017.

ACTION : As note above.