Save Youth Services

Wolverhampton council Youth services staff were all bar six,  made redundant in August 2014.

campaign to stop closure;

Youth Council shake up Wolverhampton City Council’s cabinet meeting where proposals were agreed by the Labour-controlled council to cut youth services.

Wolves TUC, CYW-UNITE,UNISON and local campaigners collected hundreds of signatures in Wolverhampton on 1st June.

from our April minutes:

Youth Services –Report Development and Transformation of Youth Services is an insult to the Labour Government Document. 

There is a proposal to transfer staff to new terms and conditions.  5 days less annual leave as an increase in productivity.  5 evenings a week instead of 8 a fortnight to be worked. There will be a change from 48 weeks service to 44, therefore current staff will lose a month’s pay. 

Approximately 30 posts could be lost and 44% cut in management and administration.  IT post will be deleted and teams merged.

On the positive is that a grant is being set up to support community groups to apply for grants to supplement existing provision, but it needs clear standards for inclusion.

There is a 90 day consultation regarding redundancies.  http://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/youthconsultation

Management keen to move youth services to the voluntary sector. The Youth council is moving from current offices without consultation. Councillors are very misguided if they think that the Youth Council is just following what youth leaders have fed them support is needed from the Trades Council.  Mini buses will be reduced from 5 to 3 but they could be used as income generation. Elements of the youth service will be put out to tender.

To protect services there is a joint union campaign – UNISON and CYW-UNITE.

There is some statutory basis for Youth Provision in Education Act 1996. There needs to be an equality impact assessment. 

Hundreds of signatures were collected on Saturday 1st June on a stall at Wolverhampton market with CYW-UNITE, UNISON plus WB&DTUC assistance.