Wolverhampton youth clubs will shut in bid to save £750k
Some youth clubs in Wolverhampton will close completely under cost-cutting plans that will see all of them shut for an extra four weeks a year, it has been revealed.
Up to 28 jobs are threatened with the axe but 12 are currently vacant under the proposals that will save £750,000 over two years.
Wolverhampton City Council intends to make more use of community groups, churches and other voluntary organisations by offering grants worth a total of £40,000 to make up for the loss of services.
Councillors have to save £17 million over the next 12 months and more than £59m over five years.
However, the council believes it can improve services by changing the way youth workers operate so that they spend up to 70 per cent of their time with young people as opposed to 50 per cent at present.
At a special meeting of the council's ruling Labour cabinet called to approve the consultation, finance boss Councillor Andrew Johnson said: "It's with a heavy heart that we do this because improvements to something as important as youth services should not be done with the backdrop of the most major cuts I've seen.
"The alternative would be to transfer everything to the voluntary sector."
Despite the council's aims to keep youth services within the council, it still plans to offer up to £40,000 worth of grants to churches and other community groups.
A decision will be made in July.
There are also plans for the £450,000 Epic Youth Cafe in the city centre to be used as a base for businesses set up by young people and to offer them qualifications and work experience.
It was opened in 2010 but its long-term future is uncertain due to plans for a £6 million youth club in the city, due to open in 2015.
