Tories Refuse Support for Youth Service

10.51.53am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 11th Sep 2008

At Tuesday's full Council meeting, Liberal Democrat councillors were shocked by Conservative councillors refusing to fund more youth workers across the county.

A windfall grant from Government had become available, and the Conservative administration proposed spending only part of it and banking the rest, despite Council balances being already very healthy. The Liberal Democrats proposed spending £165,000 on extra youth workers. However, the Tory administration voted against this.

Cllr Jean Fooks, Shadow Cabinet member for Children & Young People, said, "Of course, the vast majority of our young people are not up to mischief but sometimes they hang around on street corners because they have nothing better to do. Detached youth workers go out to talk to the young people and provide them with ideas for occupying their time and organising activities. There is a huge need for more detached youth workers and the County Council does not provide enough money. In Wolvercote and Cuttleslowe the only way to get more youth workers during the summer was to ask Oxford City Council for part funding."

Cllr Alan Armitage, Shadow Cabinet member for finance, added, "We were treated to a list of the additional spending on the youth service since 2005 by the Cabinet member, with the clear implication that no more was needed now. I dispute that. The Liberal Democrats have, in successive years, tried to persuade the administration to spend still more on the youth service, because Oxfordshire spends less than comparable authorities and because the lack of activities for young people is an issue raised time and again by local residents."