Liberal Democrat-controlled Hull City Council speaks with 'forked tongue' on youth service cuts

15 February 2011

Liberal Democrat-controlled Hull City Council was accused of speaking with a forked tongue for slashing its youth services, while its council leader was writing to The Times complaining about the speed of the coalition's local government cuts.

Unite, the largest union in the country, highlighted the contradiction of the city council axing 75 per cent of its youth services, while its leader Carl Minns was signing the letter, with other senior local government Liberal Democrats, complaining about the harshness of the spending axe wielded by Communities and Local Government Secretary, Eric Pickles

Dave Mathieson, Unite national executive member for public services, said: 'The leader of the council signed a letter to The Times against the cuts and then the next day destroys the youth service in Hull. The waft of hypocrisy lingering over the Humber is pungent. The council is speaking with a forked tongue.'

Dave Mathieson said: 'With £4m being axed from the youth service, it will mean that 75 per cent of the youth service will be lost and it will not be able to deliver properly funded services for thousands of young people in Hull. They will lose available support on life choices and also places to meet.'

'It will mean thousands of young people's lives will be destroyed - it is a betrayal of the young people and the youth service in Hull.'

Unite expects that 75 out of 131 youth service jobs will be lost and three major centres will close to be replaced by area-based teams.

The youth cuts come against a backdrop of a possible 1,700 jobs, out of a total council workforce of 7,000, being lost by September.

The trade unions will be staging a protest rally on 24 February – the day that the full council meets to ratify its cuts programme. All the trade unions will be meeting within the next fortnight to formulate a joint plan of action against the council cuts agenda.

The dire news from Humberside is the tip of the iceberg according to two new surveys into England's youth services.

A survey this month by Unite, in conjunction with Children & Young People Now magazine, revealed that more than 25 per cent of youth services in England faced cuts of between 21 and 30 per cent.

A study of youth service chiefs – conducted by the Confederation of Heads of Young People's Services – estimated that local authority youth service budgets will be hit by £100m of cuts by the end of March, which will threaten the jobs of 3,000 full-time youth work staff.

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