Youth clubs facing funding axe

FUNDING for dozens of youth clubs could be scrapped as part of plans to save money.

Gwynedd council is recommending that money for 42 youth clubs across the county is no longer provided, with a “county wide club” that delivers activities for youngsters within schools and communities serving in its place.

The council believe the plans would make annual savings of £270,000.

A council report said: “The youth service in its current form can’t be an option for the future.”

The local authority came up with four options for the service, and recommended an option which sees the loss of funding for the clubs.

Independent councillor Beth Lawton, who is chairman of the education and economy scrutiny committee, said the proposals are still in their infancy.

She said: “It is a long way off yet and the idea will go through scrutiny. But things have to change. There isn’t enough money – it boils down to us not getting enough money from Westminster.

“We have to provide a service somehow but it is getting to that stage where things are going to hit that wall where only statutory services can be provided.”

Other options being consid- ered include keeping some youth clubs open.

The service currently provides 42 youth clubs that are open between one and five nights per week for 30 weeks during the school term, with 10 clubs receiving an additional seven weeks during the summer. The clubs are led by 142 youth workers.

A Gwynedd council spokesperson said: “In order to devel- op the best possible service with the limited available funding, over the past two years we have held several engagement events with young people and undertaken a county-wide consultation to establish young people’s priorities which received almost 800 responses.

“The feedback has then been used as the basis for developing various options for the future.

“The suggested way forward will offer young people in Gwynedd the opportunity to take part in a programme of activities and projects that will be held in schools and various community facilities across the county throughout the year.

“The programme of activities and projects, and their location, would change on a regular basis so that young people in every part of Gwynedd have the opportunity to benefit.”