Messages from Doug Nicholls:

LATEST:

CONTROVERSIAL plans to cut £2m from the county’s youth service budget, putting youth centres and services under threat, have been put on hold for a rethink following a heated two hour debate at a select committee last week.

The decision was praised by Doug Nicholls, national secretary of Unite, which represents full time, part time and volunteer youth workers in West Sussex.

Mr Nicholls criticised the illusion that the ‘voluntary sector’ was willing and able to pick the bones of any carcasses left by the withdrawal of council funding.

He said: “Youth services are a long established partnership between the local authority and voluntary organisations. The proposals would have ended these relationships and cut funding to the most successful voluntary organisations.

“The daily commitment of thousands of volunteers and many councillors throughout the county in supporting youth and community projects should not be taken for granted as these proposals did. We need to build on this for the future, not demolish it.

“This gives everyone in West Sussex an opportunity to join with us and Select Committee members in planning a positive future, not a negative one.”

In addition, some members of the children and young people’s services select committee had claimed a report by officers did not give them all the information it needed. Cllr Chris Oxlade said the report was not full enough or in depth enough and he successfully proposed a postonement.

He was seconded by Cllr Heather Ross, who said the committee was not ready to make a decision. A lot of work had to be done before she agreed to any changes in the youth service, she added.

More detailed papers and supporting evidence will be brought to another meeting with recommendations made to Cllr Bradbury, who makes the final decision.

EARLIER:

We are fighting a £2 m cut to the Youth Service in West Sussex. It closes centres, abandons management committees, ends universal provision and plans to sell things off and dump things on voluntary sector and ‘the community’.

I attach the Union’s response. More importantly, we are launching a quick petition. This is attached. Obviously West Sussex names have most effect, but their standing orders do not distinguish this when requiring 3,000 signatures to debate the petition at full council.

Could I therefore ask for some urgent cascading of the petition and some priority to this.

It will not be lost on you that the Tory Minister with responsibility for the youth service who has ordered a review of local authority youth services because he wants volunteers to run them, Tim Loughton is a Sussex MP so a defeat on his turf would be excellent.

Please help our members in Sussex.

Also, please note that September 25^th will probably be Rally for the Youth Service day in West Sussex. Details to follow, but make a date in your diary.

UNITE response: Transforming Youth Services Review, West Sussex

West Sussex Petition