More evidence of youth cuts revealed
Pressure is mounting over cuts to youth services as more evidence of the scale of funding reductions emerged.
Research by the YMCA showed funding had been cut by 70 per cent nationally since 2010, with Staffordshire and Worcestershire among the worst hit.
It comes on the back of an Express & Star investigation earlier this month that revealed millions of pounds have been slashed from youth services in the Black Country and Staffordshire over the last five years as violent crime soared.
The YMCA gathered data from 84 local authorities on planned spending for 2019/20, with the average spend per council at £2.45 million, compared with £7.79 million in 2010/11, a drop of 69 per cent. The figure is much lower in parts of the Black Country.
Denise Hatton, chief executive of YMCA England and Wales, said cuts had gone too far.
"Youth services offer a vital lifeline within local communities, providing young people with support, advice and a place to go when they need it most," she said.
"The year-on-year cuts to youth services are not without consequences and we are already seeing the impact of these cuts in communities across the country."
She said youth services have a "significant role" to play in stopping young people from carrying weapons and falling prey to or getting involved in violent crime.
"Violent crime is a very complex issue. While I don't feel that it can be attributed to an individual cause, I am certain that youth services have a significant role to play in helping young people who are choosing to carry knives or weapons and those who are contemplating it.
"Young people need a place to go where they can belong, where they have the opportunity to come together with peers outside of school and develop their personal growth. If they fall into the wrong group, they are unfortunately likely to stay there.
"In addition to youth centres, a lot of youth services used to focus on finding young people out on the streets and engaging with them in a way that their school or family were unable to. Sadly, there is no funding available for that any more."
Police chiefs, charities and anti-knife crime campaigners told the Express & Star as part of its investigation that there were clear links between cuts to youth services and knife crime.
