MP Gareth Snell welcomes 1000 youth worker pledge

Gareth Snell, Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent Central has welcomed news that 1000 new youth workers will be deployed into towns and cities across England to find the young people who need support outside of home and school, before they reach crisis point.

These youth workers, who will be placed in local authorities across the country and will help locate young people who are not accessing youth services and work with them to give them something to do, somewhere to go, and someone who cares.

Under the Tories, around 4,500 youth worker jobs were lost, and local authority spending on youth services fell by 73%. These cuts led to millions of young people being left behind, with research suggesting knock-on impacts to welfare and criminal justice spend.

The government has restated its commitment to rebuilding youth work, with this investment forming part of the government’s £500m Youth Strategy, which will see youth centres rebuilt, and young people drive how money is spent in their local areas.

Gareth said: “This Labour government was elected on a promise to rebuild youth services, and it is delivering. Under the Tories, youth services were decimated, robbing millions of young people of opportunity.

“This investment is the next step in righting that wrong. Every young person deserves someone who cares, something to do, and somewhere to go and I will be fighting hard to ensure that Stoke-on-Trent Central gets our fair share of these new youth workers.”

The announcement forms part of a wider programme of investment in opportunities for young people, designed to ensure every child can access the activities, support and experiences they need to succeed.