Views sought on proposed changes to youth activities funding

Shropshire Council is asking people for their views on a proposed reduction of, and changes to, funding that supports the provision of youth activities – that is, council-funded opportunities for young people to engage in a range of activities, usually within youth clubs.

A consultation begins today (Wednesday 1 November 2017) and ends on Friday 5 January 2018. It can be found on the Shropshire Council website at shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved.

The council proposes to introduce a revised and simplified funding formula based on just two measures: the relative number of young people aged 10 to 19 years old, and young people in receipt of free school meals in a Local Joint Committee (LJC) area. The proposed formula no longer makes specific reference to rurality.

The impact of this approach would be a reduction in the number of LJCs currently allocated funding from 18 to six, and an overall reduction in the total budget from £234,959 to £135,000.

Shropshire Council wants to hear from young people, their parents and carers, members of LJCs, youth organisations, other organisations, and individuals about the potential impact of the proposals and any other concerns realting to  these proposed changes.

Nick Bardsley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services and education, said:

“Well-publicised budget pressures mean we have to look at how much money the council can put into the provision of youth activities, and how this reduced spending is allocated.

“Collectively, youth activities support young people’s well-being, personal and social development and preparation for adulthood. We want to continue to encourage local youth partnerships, volunteer-run youth clubs and new funding opportunities that provide activities for young people whilst reducing the demand on our budgets.

“We have put forward our proposals but we want to know what people – especially young people – think. All views submitted will be carefully considered and will help inform our final decision.”

Under the proposals Shropshire Council will continue to fund Shropshire Youth Association to provide proactive support to youth clubs across Shropshire, something the council sees as important to the long-term sustainability of an active and dynamic voluntary community sector.

The consultation runs until Friday 5 January 2018. The findings of the consultation will be carefully considered and used to inform the council’s approach to providing support for youth activities.

Further information

Since 2015, Shropshire Council has commissioned youth activities for young people aged 10 to 19 years old (25 for people with learning difficulties) from a range of independent youth activity providers.

Funding was provided to 18 (out of 23) LJCs based on a formula that calculated the areas of greatest need for young people and from challenges resulting from rural isolation.

LJCs, together with young people and supported by Shropshire Council officers, make recommendations on how money is best spent in local communities.  Since the new approach was introduced, over 90 separate awards have been made to over 70 different providers.  Awards range from small grants of less than £200, for example for the purchase of equipment by community groups, to large contracts to established youth activity providers to provide regular youth clubs.

Council-funded youth activities are intended to respond to the local needs of young people. Shropshire Youth Association and Energize provide support to voluntary youth clubs through a separate funding stream.  Further details can be found at http://www.sya.org.uk/

Proposed changes to how Shropshire Council allocates funding to individual LJCs

In allocating funding to individual LJCs and establishing the value of the total funding pot, the council has considered:

• Where funding support should be provided – we propose to provide funding to areas with a need score greater than 5%, which would limit funding to the main market towns.  This represents a logical cut off based on our experience of where young people’s need is the greatest, and there is the least possibility of provision being picked up locally.
• How many youth clubs / activities the council should be supporting within each LJC area – we have based this on our experience over the past two years and in particular, where council support to create and sustain local activity is most needed.
• The cost, based on our experience, for providing fully staffed youth clubs within the main market towns.