Council cuts 'will put teens on streets', says youth worker

May 12 2011 By Camilla Goodman, Buckinghamshire Examiner

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A BUCKS youth worker fears that cuts in spending by Bucks County Council (BCC) on youth services will result in an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour.

Di Burnett (pictured), who ran the Ashley Green youth club for 20 years before recently stepping down, criticised the decision to have volunteers running clubs and warned it would push bored youths into crime. She fears Chesham and Amersham in particular will be hit by teenage gangs with nowhere else to go.

She is concerned that youth centres will have to increase their admission fees to cover costs, making it too expensive for poorer children to attend, and forcing them on to the streets.

She said: "I'm not happy with the cuts; I think it will make a massive difference. People will have to pay more subs because the clubs need the money and a lot won't be able to afford it.

"I think they're building up problems, especially in Chesham and Amersham, where gangs of kids will build up. They will be out on the streets causing a nuisance, banging on doors, hanging around outside shops, shoplifting and jumping up and down on cars.

"They're not bad kids but they need somewhere to go. A lot of these kids don't have the support they need at home.

"I think Bucks County Council has been naive when it comes to youngsters and I don't think they've made cuts in the right places. I'm well aware we need to make the cuts but I just don't think closing youth clubs or insisting they're voluntarily run, which is difficult, is the right way to go about it.

"There's a massive need for youth clubs and I think there's a need for more clubs open more days a week as a properly paid job - that would be brilliant."

The area commander for Chiltern, Chief Inspector Ian Hunter, agrees that youth clubs have helped to keep down crime and anti-social behaviour.

"Diversionary activities for children in Amersham and Chesham have increased significantly in recent years," he said. "It's clear that the better the diversionary activity the less likely it will be there is anti-social behaviour.

"I don't know what will happen with the youth clubs yet, but I really support diversionary activities."

A spokeswoman for BCC said: "It's important to state we're not just abandoning these clubs. We'll be working very hard during this transitional process to ensure they have the support they need."