Opposition growing to youth centre cuts plan (From Bury Times)

Opposition growing to youth centre cuts plan

7:30am Thursday 19th February 2009

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Youngsters went head to head with councillors last night over a controversial plan to slash youth service spending.

Bury Council is proposing to cut £300,000, threatening the future of the five youth centres around the borough, and the service in Ramsbottom.

However, contrary to claims made by sources within the youth service, chief executive Mark Sanders said in a letter to the Bury Times: “There has been no proposal to shut or curtail any youth centres whatsoever.”

The council say there is a plan to invite voluntary groups to run youth services.

Service insiders claim that, if those groups don’t want to run particular services, they will close.

But council leader Bob Bibby said, in such cases, the council would continue to run those services.

Young people have contacted the Bury Times in their droves and have set up an ‘SOS’ Facebook group and gathered more than 2,000 signatures for a petition due to be presented to the council’s executive.

On Monday about 10 teenagers visited the town hall to lobby councillors ahead of last night’s meeting.

Brent Pinder, aged 16, of Lichfield Drive, Bury, said: “I attend Elton Youth Centre, which offers a superb service and we are shocked that the council want to take so much money away from it now.

“Everyone says the young people’s services across Bury have been improving for 15 years.

“Now the council wants to undo 15 years’ hard work.”

Speaking last week, Mr Sanders said: “Bury Council is currently considering a range of options, including an option to reduce funding to the youth service by £300,000.

“No decision has yet been made, therefore, it is inappropriate to speculate in detail about the proposed changes to the youth service’s funding.”

Speaking before last night’s meeting, Cllr Bibby said: “If the proposal does go ahead, we would intend to ask the third (voluntary) sector to run services.

“However, if there was no uptake for particular services, we would without doubt bring them back within the council. There is no way they would close.”

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