Almost half of local authority areas in England contain neighbourhoods without enough youth provision to meet local need, according to ground-breaking analysis.
The research has helped to create the first national mapping of youth provision and youth needs data, according to charity funder Social Investment Business (SIB), which is behind the analysis.
It also identifies what it describes as consistent “youth work black holes” across local authority areas – communities where young people face high levels of deprivation and antisocial behaviour but lack adequate access to youth services.
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The findings come weeks after the government published its £500 million Youth Matters strategy, which includes funding to build, refurbish and equip youth centres across England.
Developing a new “Unmet Need Index”, the analysis finds that 48% of local authorities in England contain at least one neighbourhood in the highest decile for unmet youth need, while 66% have neighbourhoods in the highest two deciles.
The mapping also highlights stark regional inequalities. In Knowsley, Merseyside, and Middlesbrough, in the North East, more than half of neighbourhoods fall into the highest decile for unmet need, at 55% and 53% respectively. SIB said this suggests “inadequate provision to meet high youth needs”.
By contrast, South Oxfordshire, East Hampshire and Richmond upon Thames have a majority of neighbourhoods in the lowest decile for unmet need, at 60%, 53% and 52% respectively, which SIB said suggests “low need and good levels of youth provision for young people in those areas”.
SIB chief executive Nick Temple said: “The challenge isn’t just providing more investment for youth services, but ensuring we’re led by the data to reach the communities that most need extra provision.
“Through our delivery of the government’s Youth Investment Fund, we’ve seen how targeted funding can transform access to safe, high-quality spaces for young people.
“Today’s research shows there are still large gaps in provision – but gaps that can be closed through successful targeting and delivery of the funding announced through the new National Youth Strategy.”
The analysis follows a report this week by charity YMCA charting a 10% drop in council spending on youth services last year and highlighting concerns over local authorities’ understanding of local need and provision.
The charity’s director of quality and impact Bethia McNeil said: “YMCA England & Wales’ research has charted the 73% decline in funding for youth services over the last 15 years, and this new analysis significantly advances our understanding of where services are reaching the young people who need them the most – and more importantly, where they are not.”
Since 2022, SIB has delivered the £300mn Youth Investment Fund (YIF) and the £30mn Better Youth Spaces fund, supporting more than 270 new or refurbished youth centres.
Initiatives to have benefited include the Park Side Youth Hub in Swindon (see below), which was designed in collaboration with local young people and opened last year. Repurposed from the former derelict Penhill Bowls Club in Swindon with a £165,000 YIF Refurbishment Grant, it is now a “modern, functional space for youth and community”.
Ben Roman, chief executive of another scheme to have benefited, the Lighthouse Project, said: “Young people deserve state of the art facilities based in their communities with youth workers who champion and believe in them.”
Source: CYPNOW
