Fears Calderdale budget cuts will hit vulnerable young people

There are fears cuts to youth services in Calderdale will impact some of the borough’s most vulnerable young people.

The council’s budget proposals include cuts totalling around £3 million to children’s services between 2024 and 2027.

One, affecting a supported housing project for care leavers, will save £272,000 in 2024-25 and £762,000 in each of 2025-26 and 2026-27 although officers say this is actually being taken in-house to save money on a service currently provided externally.

Other cuts, if approved, would see targeted youth services reduced along with the level of preventative work of the Youth Justice Service. The council would also revise its non-statutory inclusion funding offer which supports children with SEND.

We’ve been hearing from young people in Calderdale about the challenges they’re facing and the support they feel is available to them – Rosanna Robins went along to the Newground Together youth club in Halifax:

The budget plans have been criticised by the Calderdale branch of the National Education NEU which say they will have a detrimental effect on young people:

“These are certainly going to be cuts that have a direct impact on vulnerable young people and it’s our feeling that they shouldn’t be made to pay for a financial crisis that they haven’t caused. They’re in more need for support now than arguably they’ve ever been before.

“These are cuts on top of cuts. So we’ve seen reduced mental health provision and reduced services to support young people. Post pandemic that’s really serious, we know young people in many instances struggled.

“The services seeking to provide support outside of schools are struggling with capacity in Calderdale, they’re struggling with numbers, they’re struggling with their own staffing provisions and they’re struggling for funding. So in effect these cuts are landing on young people who are already short of support.”

The NEU has written to the council outlining their concerns. In the letter they say they recognise the cuts stem from ‘the systematic under-funding of local councils by national government’, but add that there are always choices to be made.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Resources, Cllr Silvia Dacre, said:

“The Council is legally required to set a balanced budget each year. Based on the Council’s current financial forecasts, the local authority is now facing budget deficits of £7.5 million in 2024/5, £6.2 million in 2025/6 and £4.8 million in 2026/27. We have no choice but to make some tough decisions and we have to be honest about what we can and cannot do.

“We have particularly tried to mitigate the effect of our difficult financial situation on our young people, specifically those who are disadvantaged.

“We’ve listened to people’s concerns regarding the proposed savings for preventative work with young people both within the Targeted Youth Work Team and the Youth Justice Team. To try to reduce the impact we have reduced the level of savings in 2025/6 and 2026/7.”

Final decisions on the budget will be made at a meeting on 26th February.