Concerns lack of youth funding could push more Birmingham kids into crime
It's as a new report suggest youth club closures during the 2010s led to increased offending and worse GCSE results
Last updated 15th Nov 2024
There are concerns a lack of funding for youth services in Birmingham could push more kids into a life of crime.
It's as a new report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggests youth club closures during the decade from 2010 led to increased offending and worse GCSE results.
Julien Pritchard's a green party councillor in Druids Heath which has one of the few youth clubs left in the city.
"A good youth service provides so much support for young people. They're absolutely and they're not a luxury.
"They're absolutely vital to our cities and our communities."
The research compares offending rates and exam results among teenagers who live in an area where all local youth clubs within a 40-minute walk closed with those among teenagers whose nearest youth club stayed open.
Teenagers whose nearest youth club was closed went on to do worse in school, the study concluded.
Test scores fell even more for pupils from lower socioeconomic backgrounds - who performed roughly more than a grade worse in one subject.
Julien says he's seen first-hand what youth centres mean to the community he serves.
"I've had letters sent to me by a lot of the young people at Maypole Youth Centre, outlining how important it was to them.
"And how it had really helped and supported them and was a safe space. But also how it was a place to have fun - where there was activities and things to do."
The IFS paper also found that those who lost access to a youth club were 14% more likely to engage in criminal activity in the six years following closure.
The offending rate - the proportion of residents aged 10 to 17 who commit a crime each year - went from 14 per 1,000 to 16 per 1,000.
Julien says more investment in the youth sector is essential.
"Government, nationally, should be prioritising youth services through councils much more than they do currently.
"I think they are absolutely crucial - what we need is more investment in those youth services."
A spokesperson from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said:
"The challenges faced by young people today are greater than ever and a new way forward is required. That is why we have announced plans to create a new National Youth Strategy, which will hand power back to young people and their communities while rebuilding a thriving youth sector for the long term.
"We are also allocating over £85m of capital funding in 2025/26 to create fit-for-purpose, welcoming spaces for young people including £26m for youth clubs to buy new equipment and undertake renovations.
"This is in addition to £100 million from the next tranche of dormant assets funding being used to deliver youth outcomes between 2024 and 2028."