Doug Nicholls calls on everyone to make every effort to be in Solihull at the Choose Youth Rally on Saturday. As he stresses in his letter the stakes are high! Indeed the carnage continues with the news that Manchester is abandoning its entire Youth Service.

Dear Colleague

I am pleased to report that Charlene White and Efe Ezekiel, both experienced TV presenters will be helping to MC and host our rally on Saturday. They will be joined by Kurly, Birmingham’s poet laureate and Zara Sykes, a hop hop performer. In addition Banner Theatre will be with us as well as the King Drummers. There will be other attractions too and most of the young people’s campaigns on issues around the youth service. Lorely Burt and Julie Hilling, both MPs, are confirmed for the question Time Panel.

You will no doubt have seen from Children and Young People Now the results of both the Unite/CYPN survey and the Confederation of Heads of Young People’s Services survey make it clear that on top of the 100% cuts to many services, there is an aggregate one third cut to the service which in reality makes in unviable in most parts of the country. The situation is very urgent indeed. The three thousand youth work jobs currently under threat constituted the entire full time workforce not so long ago.

Our rally could not therefore be better timed.

The Education Bill Committee starts its work this week and an amendment in favour of the Youth Service will be forwarded. We also have the opportunities of the Minister’s Youth Summit and the Education Select Committee. Time is not our side, redundancy notices in over a third of the service are 90 day.

I hope the unfolding urgency of the situation will encourage you to urge even more colleagues to attend on Saturday.

Let us aim for a further 200.

I look forward to seeing you all on Saturday.

All the best.

Doug Nicholls.