Dorset youth provider worries rural areas could miss out under Government’s 10-Year Youth Plan
Plans to refurbish youth clubs, revive services and recruit more youth workers has been dubbed 'too little, too late' by a Dorset provider
A Dorset youth club provider is concerned the government's 10-year youth plan will overlook rural areas.
It follows the publication of Labour's national youth strategy, which will seek to tackle what ministers describe as a crisis of isolation.
In the report, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said improving prospects for young people is "our generation's greatest responsibility".
The plan promises £500m of investment to revive youth services, refurbish or build 250 youth facilities over the next four years and ensure an extra 500,000 young people have access to a trusted adult outside their home.
But for providers like Dorset Youth fear the headline figures will flow disproportionately to towns and cities, leaving small towns once again overlooked.
Kate Parish, a team lead at Dorset Youth, told us: “Youth services have needed a document like this since 2010, when the cuts really started to bite but it still feels too little, too late.
“Youth clubs give young people a safe space to socialise, to build confidence and resilience, it’s much more than a pool table and a tuck shop.”
The strategy includes plans for 50 “young futures” hubs by 2029, offering access to youth workers, enrich the lives of young people with activities £60 million to help fund organisations in underserved areas.
But Ms Parish notes that 50 hubs across England would not even guarantee one in every local authority.
She said: “That’s a concern for rural places like Dorset, where transport is poor and young people can be very isolated.”
The strategy also sets aside £15 million to recruit and train youth workers and volunteers.
Ministers say the aim is to pull young people away from “isolation online” and towards real-world connection.
For those delivering youth work on the ground, the principle is welcome but its success for many here will depend on the amount of local investment.
“A good youth worker is someone young people trust, someone who builds on their strengths and lets them lead,” Kate Parish said. “If this plan is to mean anything in rural counties like ours, it has to recognise that youth work can’t be one-size-fits-all.”