Rethink on Somerset youth services leads to £100,000 boost
Neil Puffett
Friday, April 27, 2012
An additional £100,000 has been set aside to fund voluntary groups to provide youth services in Somerset following a consultation.
A revised plan for Somerset County Council’s youth and community service has been agreed, with a new focus on supporting community groups running their own clubs.
The council had originally planned to withdraw all its youth work by April this year but announced in February it was delaying making a decision until a further stage of consultation had taken place.
The withdrawal of direct youth services has now been put back until 2014, with two youth centres in Bridgwater and Yeovil remaining open until then.
John Osman, lead member for children and young people at the council, said the views of Somerset residents during the consultation led to an extra £100,000 being allocated to the department's annual budget, taking the total to £1.3m.
"We have managed to make a difficult decision far more palatable by listening to the views of young people we've met across the county,” he said.
"The council will continue to support a range of youth services beyond April 2014 by helping to fund Somerset's charity and community organisations providing youth services."
