'Join protest against cuts' (From Oxford Mail)

'Join protest against cuts'

A BUSINESSMAN is calling on children and parents to join a protest against Oxfordshire County Council’s plans to slash spending on its youth service.

Christopher Quinton

County Hall wants to cut youth support by more than half from £3.7m to £1.4m by 2013 as it attempts to make £31m in efficiency savings over the next five years.

The plans, which will affect every youth centre in the county, have upset Woodcote businessman Christopher Quinton, who runs Arch, a charity helping children from deprived backgrounds learn to read.

Mr Quinton, a former chairman of the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, last night wrote emails to 31 of the county’s 33 youth centres asking them to join him in the protest next Monday.

News of the protest comes as the council’s cabinet is set to discuss its new three-year Children and Young People’s Plan at County Hall today.

The 60-year-old entrepreneur, who is chairman of Arch, said: “I am dismayed by these plans.

“Every child and every parent in the county deserves a good youth service.

“Youth clubs are vital for local communities, especially in Oxfordshire where there are so many villages and there’s so little else for the kids to do.

“Youths can get into mischief and low-level crime without outlets like this. I hope we can persuade the county council to maintain this funding. There has to be other areas where the council can save money. This should be the last service they cut.”

The council spends £59 per head on 13- to 19-year-olds and was ranked 104th out of 118 local authorities for net expenditure on youth services per head of population in 2007/08.

Youth workers have suggested the planned cuts could make the county the lowest spender on young people’s services in England.

Oxford city councillor Antonia Bance, board member for social inclusion and young people, has warned that Oxford will feel the cuts deeper than most.

She said: “Cutting the money to the youth service will have an enormous impact, and disproportionately affect the most deprived areas in our city like Barton, Blackbird Leys, Rose Hill and Wood Farm, as well as places like Bicester and Banbury.

“It’s a disgusting decision and it isn’t logical at all. Spending money here saves you cash in the long-run and stops problems occurring before they get out of hand.

“It costs £77,000 per year to keep a young person in a borstal compared to a couple of hundred pounds on a youth centre to keep our young people out of trouble.”

County council spokesman Owen Morton said: “The Government is more than £800bn in debt and will be looking for ways to reduce this deficit.

“Two-thirds of local government funding comes from Government grants, and local authorities are highly likely to be firmly in line for reductions in funding over coming years.

“Most councils are therefore sensibly preparing for this by discussing ways of making savings.

“At Oxfordshire County Council one such area under discussion is youth support funding. No decisions have been taken, nor will they be taken until February when the council’s budget is set.”

cwalker@oxfordmail.co.uk * To join the protest, email cjq@quincom.co.uk