Continuing Friday’s theme, Young People on the receiving end yet again of political and economic dogma, the Guardian Letters page, Young people are not fair game, Mr Osborne, contains, amongst others, one from our very own Bernard Davies.

• One of the areas of provision which wasn’t mentioned in your review of the effects of the cuts on services for young people (theguardian.com, 10 July) was the local authority youth service and the informal educational opportunities these have provided. Yet last year a Unison survey of 168 local councils across the UK revealed that between 2012 and 2014 funding for these services was cut back by at least £60m, resulting in the loss of more than 2,000 youth worker jobs and 41,000 youth service places, the closure of around 350 youth centres and a reduction of 35,000 hours of outreach work.

Findings from surveys over a number of years, including one in 2013, suggest that as a result as many as 800,000 young people – many of them with limited or no contact with other supportive agencies outside school – could well have been affected.
Bernard Davies
Leamington Spa

Also see 5 reasons why the first Conservative Budget for 19 years is disaster if you’re under 25

and

Young People To Bear Brunt Of George Osborne’s £12bn Welfare Cuts

and

The Tories Have Really Done Young People Over With The New Budget