Financial support for youth groups at risk
There are fears that dozens of Wales’ youth groups will disappear due to funding shortages.
According to the Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services, around 30% of the sector is unsure whether it has the resources to make it through the current financial year.
Last year, Welsh Conservatives raised concerns over funding challenges for the sector.
Shadow Education Secretary, Darren Millar, said:
“This is a damning indictment of the Welsh Labour Government’s handling of youth services in Wales.
“These services enable young people to reach their full potential, and are particularly important in areas of social deprivation.
"The decision to withdraw funding from this sector is short-sighted and will come with a much higher cost later down the line.
“The Welsh Government should reconsider the impact of those cuts and must work with voluntary providers such as the Scouts and Guides, church groups and others to improve access to services across Wales.”
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies, said:
“Youth provision appears to be in crisis in some parts of Wales, which is deeply worrying – especially in areas where those services are most relied upon.
“You only have to look at the success of projects like the Engine House in Dowlais to see how important community based schemes for young people are.
“When you strip these services out of the community anti-social behaviour increases and we run the risk of causing irreparable harm to the next generation if we allow this to become a full blown crisis in Wales.”
