Stop the 73% cuts to youth services in Southwark

The council plans to cut £2.5million from the youth service budget leaving less than one million to work with some of the most disadvantaged young people in London.

We have 13 youth projects in the voluntary sector which could suffer as well as 8 youth centres as part of this 73% cuts. What will be left for young people in this Borough? The council promised not to cut front line services yet this is being proposed.

We would also lose experienced and specialist workers in the sector as the services would transfer to the Environment and Leisure department. This will de-professionalise and de-skill professional youth workers leaving little to no varied provision. They are planning to delete ALL 122 full and part time jobs and replacing them with 42 part time posts.

Southwark News report: 19.11.15
Richard Taylor, founder of the Damilola Taylor Centre after his ten-year-old son was killed on the Peckham estate, said this was no time to cut youth services as serious knife crime continued to blight the borough. “Bearing in mind the level of killing, stabbing and violence, this is not the right time. This is the wrong approach and a bad decision for the council.

As Jeremy Corbyn has said 'austerity is a political choice'. Southwark must not abandon young people while sitting on millions of pounds of reserves which can be used to support the local community along with the fight to get more money from central government.

Southwark Trades Council will be campaigning with the local government unions and community to stop these cuts. We will be lobbying the Council Assembly and have asked for a deputation at the Cabinet on Wednesday 24th November. Please join us.

For more information contact Pat Shelley - Head of Youth and Play Services [email protected] or southwark Unison: [email protected]