Councils miss out on youth crime funding
Joe Lepper
Monday, April 27, 2009
London boroughs with high youth crime rates are missing out on funding that aims to tackle the problem, according to London councils.
Umbrella group London Councils says the capital's current youth crime funding structure, involving around ten funding streams, is too complicated and is failing to help boroughs most in need.
According to London Council's latest policy document, Funding the frontline: tackling youth crime in London, the majority of youth crime funding in the capital goes to just 12 local authorities with other areas missing out despite having high crime rates.
Waltham Forest has the second highest rate of serious violent crime involving young people, but received none of the £700,000 allocated to London boroughs in the Youth Crime Action Plan.
Despite having five teenage murders in 2008 alone the borough of Enfield has not been eligible for any of the ten major finding streams highlighted in the report, including the Parenting Early Intervention Programme and the Department for Children, Schools and Families' £2.6m Positive Activities for Young People fund.
London Councils also wants to see more youth crime funding channeled through the Area Based Grant, which is handed out to all councils.
