It’s been a traumatic week for young people and youth workers in Etonian Cameron’s back garden. On Thursday, February 10 almost a hundred people attended a public meeting opposing the cuts to the youth service. Three young people from the Save All UK Youth Centres group, Matty, Beth and Nicky, spoke alongside Doug Nicholls and Dave Ricketts from UNITE.  As ever the young spokespersons were eloquent,  disturbingly so for a somewhat deranged Tory councillor, who heckled for a few minutes before fleeing the building!

On Saturday young people led the march against public service cuts organised by the Oxfordshire Anti-Cuts Alliance.

At the ensuing Rally six young women from the still growing Save All UK Youth Centres group spoke about their experience of organising against the cuts.

In the event the Oxfordshire County Council,  posh ‘hoodies’ pulled up to its ears, has voted through 119 million pounds worth of cuts

Dave Ricketts, Branch Officer of UNITE [CYWU] signals that this heralds the end of the Youth Service with no staff being employed on  JNC and those few youth workers left being redesignated as Community Hub workers. Obviously the unions are weighing up the next step in their opposition. Meanwhile the young people themselves are considering what next to do. They are not for rolling over!

Thanks to Steph Green for her photos and sterling work in support of the young people ‘doing it their way’.