Youth Council closure is symptomatic of a deeper

IT’S been a bleak week for the UK youth work sector. The British Youth Council (BYC) – the UK-wide youth-led charity that has empowered young people aged 25 and under to influence local, national, and international political decisionmaking for more than 75 years – has announced its permanent closure due to ongoing financial challenges.

“Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to provide a sustainable future for the charity. The economic environment has significantly impacted our ability to generate income. This was further cemented by the recent administration of our dedicated and passionate partners The Body Shop,” said Zara Khan, BYC chair.

BYC has been well-known for its advocacy campaigns, and the charity played a key role in facilitating numerous youth forums, advisory groups, all-party parliamentary groups, and – most notably – the UK Youth Parliament. The futures of these programmes now hang in uncertainty.

My heart aches for all the dedicated staff, volunteers, and young people associated with BYC. Especially amidst a cost of living crisis, navigating redundancy becomes ever more challenging. BYC is not the first national youth charity to close this year – children’s charity body Children England closed at the start of the year due to financial pressures after 81 years of existence.

Khan also noted that “this news will come as a shock to young people across the country, generations of people who have been part of the youth voice movement, our supporters and many of our partners”.

Quite a shock, indeed – at least initially, until I stopped and reflected some more on this grim news. Thinking about the past 14 years of austerity, in which youth work funding has been severely slashed, my initial shock gave way to a deep sense of sorrow, anger, and fear. Sorrow, for all those directly affected by the closure. Anger, at the UK Government’s continual lack of prioritisation and investment in young people, of which BYC’s closure is just one example. Fear, for what this might mean for the future of youth work and young people’s opportunities for political participation.

Recent research commissioned by the

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), published last month, found that 95% of local authorities in England reduced their real-terms spending on youth services by at least a quarter between 2011 and 2021. This aligns with 2023 YMCA research which found that local authority youth service spending has declined by 73% since 2010.

YMCA and National Youth Agency (NYA) research has shown that this scale of decline has meant there are fewer skilled youth workers, and too few volunteers to support or replace skilled youth workers. Unsurprisingly, funding cuts disproportionately affect young people living in the most deprived areas.

HERE in Scotland, the story is similar. “Ongoing cuts to youth work provision have contributed to the youth mental health crisis, poor attainment, lack of employment prospects, social isolation, anti-social behaviour, bullying and risk-taking behaviours,” YouthLink Scotland has reported.

“Local councils face tough decisions that may result in cuts to youth work budgets but the impact this will have on young people and their future life chances will be far-reaching. Cuts will result in further pressure on other services such as social care, mental health services, social work, the NHS, the police and the criminal justice system. This is not a saving.”

The Scottish Youth Parliament’s (SYP) 2019 report, Youth Work And Me, highlighted the impact youth work budget cuts were having on young people in Scotland. SYP’s subsequent 2023 report highlighted a key finding emerging from discussions at their member sitting in July 2023 – the need for increased youth work funding across Scotland.

I could spend all day going on about the benefits of youth work (I’ve written previously for The National about my own experiences), but I’ll try to keep it

The impact this will have on young people and their future life chances will be far reaching