Report finds vast gaps in rural local youth services

A new report makes clear there are vast gaps in local youth services, with 2.2 million young people living in predominantly rural areas consistently overlooked.

The National Youth Agency says that there is little or no co-ordinated provision in many rural areas to tackle inequalities and put young people at the heart of the coronavirus recovery.

The amount spent per head on youth work for 11- to 19-year-olds in rural England, £47, is 25 per cent less than in urban areas, and half the level a decade ago.

The government said it had given youth-work charities £100 million over the pandemic, but the National Youth Agency is calling for it to implement a long-term spending plan.

The Overlooked report provides a number of recommendations to improve rural youth work provision, including: a Rural Action Plan for youth services co-designed with young people; a comprehensive map of youth services and out of school activities in rural areas (Census); unlock and release funding, invest in community assets; and to strengthen statutory guidance for local authorities and funding to secure a baseline of youth provision.

Leigh Middleton, NYA’s CEO, said: “Young people spend 85 per cent of their waking hours each year outside of the school-day. It is imperative that they can access safe places to have fun, meet friends and learn new skills, with a trained and trusted adult who knows what is needed. Yet there is little or no youth provision in many rural areas. Young people living in rural areas are all too often overlooked, leaving them vulnerable to isolation, loneliness and poor mental health, Bold investment is required for a rural action plan designed with young people, to build and bolster local youth services, and mobilise youth workers and volunteers across rural communities. Without such investment to build back better, 2.25 million young people will be left behind.”