New hope for threatened youth centres
Funding approved for five centres to support youngsters
Councillors have this week approved almost £150,000 of funding in an effort to lift
the threat of closure hanging over five youth centres across South Gloucestershire.
On Monday (25th February) – as part of the authority’s first ‘Positive Activities’
funding round – councillors on the Kings Forest area committee agreed bids
totalling over £68,000 to support youth centres in Hanham, Cadbury Heath and
Oldland over the coming year.
And at last night’s (Tuesday 26th February) meeting of the Southern Brooks Area
Committee, a majority of councillors approved £41,000 of new funding for centres in
Little Stoke, Winterbourne and Filton.
Hanham and Little Stoke youth centres will also each receive £20,000 of New
Homes Bonus funding in 2013/14.
Cllr Rob Jones (Con, Bradley Stoke South), who has been leading the Conservative
group’s opposition to the council’s controversial youth changes, said:
“The amount of council funding for positive activities for young people is smaller than
we wanted, but we have tried to ensure that the funding is spread in a fair and
equitable way to benefit the maximum number of young people and keep our youth
centres open.
It remains an immense disappointment that Labour and LibDem councillors colluded
to cut this funding pot so aggressively, because it has made it so much harder for
communities and under-threat centres across the district from Little Stoke to
Winterbourne to Hanham to get the resources that they need and deserve.”
Back in December, Labour and LibDem councillors had agreed to slash £179,000 of
‘Positive Activities’ funding set aside for under-threat centres in Thornbury,
Hanham, Oldland, Little Stoke, Chipping Sodbury, Winterbourne, Wickwar and other
youth clubs to bid from.
But after pleas from Conservative councillors, LibDem and Labour councillors
partially backed down and agreed to reinstate £135,000 of funding by using an
alternative council budget.
Speaking after this week’s area committee meeting, Hanham Conservative
Councillors John Goddard, Heather Goddard ad June Bamford said:
“It was great to see so many young people who use Hanham youth centre speak so
highly about it and even better for us to be able to approve funding to keep it open.
We hope that councillors on the neighbouring Chase area committee approve the
remaining resources to complete the positive activities funding package for Hanham
because Kingswood young people use it too.”
Parkwall Conservative councillors Tony Olpin and Nick Barrett said:
“As well as allocating £15,000 funding to keep Cadbury Heath youth centre open for a
total of 4 nights a week, the area committee also agreed to our proposal to use New
Homes Bonus resources to fund the Cadbury Heath Youth Support Club’s request for
£3,000 to pay for watersports and climbing trips for the most vulnerable local
youngsters.”
And following last night’s second area committee meeting, Winterbourne
Conservative councillors Tim Bowles and John Godwin said:
“The indoor skate park facilities that Fromeside youth centre houses are unique in the
local area, which is why it would be travesty if local youngsters were to lose it.
Because of the centre’s proximity to Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath, we now
hope to get the remaining funding from the Frome Vale Area Committee which will
help secure the centre’s future.”
Little Stoke Conservative councillors, Brian Allinson, Justin Howells and Keith
Cranney said:
“Despite the odds being stacked against Little Stoke youth centre remaining open, we
are making encouraging progress in ensuring that local youngsters continue to have
access to the positive activities that they need and deserve.
The area committee vote was the first vote in go in Little Stoke’s favour, which was
refreshing.”
Three of the council’s five area committees are still to meet to agree their decisions
on youth funding. The Chase Area Committee meets on 5th March, Severn Vale
Area Committee meets on 6th March and Frome Vale meets on 7th March.