Croydon East’s Labour MP Natasha Irons has introduced a 10-minute-rule Bill to Parliament that would place clear duties on councils to plan, deliver and resource youth services properly, rather than treating them as optional.
Pressure time: MP Irons’s Bill will have its first reading at the House of Commons tomorrow
Irons’s Bill has the backing of national youth organisations the National Youth Agency and the YMCA, who called the proposals in the draft Bill “a vital step towards rebuilding youth services after more than a decade of decline”.
The Bill is due to have its first reading tomorrow.
Local authority spending on youth services fell by 73% between 2010 and 2023, leading to the closure of more than 1,000 youth centres and the loss of more than 4,500 youth worker roles nationwide. “As a result, universal access to youth work has disappeared from many communities,” according to Irons.
In Croydon, what remains of its non-statutory youth service has mostly been outsourced, with trained council social workers replaced by independently-run service companies, who have had to bid competitively for the contract, and whose staff training and resources may not necessarily match the previous in-house department.
The 10-minute-rule Bill, like Early Day motions, is one of the few ways that backbenchers like Irons can raise an issue.
As legislation, it is unlikely to go beyond the second reading stage, but it does force the government frontbench to respond in the chamber and helps put pressure on them – especially if the MP has built a coalition of MPs behind the bill.
Irons, as the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs, has invited hundreds of young people into Parliament to speak directly with policymakers and parliamentarians.
The Youth Services Bill seeks to strengthen the statutory duty on local authorities to provide youth services by introducing clear sufficiency benchmarks, including expectations around qualified staffing and local accessibility. “This would ensure every young person has access to high-quality youth services, no matter where they live in England,” a spokesperson from Iron’s office told Inside Croydon.
“The proposal reflects the MP’s commitment to ensuring every young person can access a safe space, a trusted adult and opportunities to help them thrive,” they said.
The government launched its National Youth Strategy earlier this month. The ambitious plan – backed by £500million – aims to give 500,000 young people access to a trusted adult and deliver up to 250 youth centres and 50 Young Futures Hubs.
East Croydon MP: Natasha Irons chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs
Irons hopes that her Bill will help to ensure that the investment translates into clear standards, accountability and properly funded local provision.
“I can’t overstate the damage that years of aggressive cuts to youth services have done to our society,” Irons told Inside Croydon. Our young people are now among the unhappiest in Europe.
“I believe youth services are essential infrastructure – like healthcare or education – that support young people’s wellbeing and future prospects. They also deliver clear economic returns. When young people are connected and well, they are less vulnerable to exploitation and crime, which benefits us all.
“The government’s National Youth Strategy has begun the long process of rebuilding youth services. This bill backs the government’s investment by introducing clear standards and benchmarks for delivery, as well as ensuring that young people are consulted on what youth services should look like their communities.”
Denise Hatton, the chief executive at the YMCA, said: “This Bill is a vital step towards rebuilding youth services after more than a decade of decline.
“Youth work should never be ‘optional’ – it is essential infrastructure that gives young people safe spaces, trusted adults and opportunities to thrive.
“By strengthening the statutory duty on local authorities and setting clear expectations for provision, this Bill would help ensure that recent national investment translates into consistent, high-quality youth services in every community.
“YMCA strongly welcomes this leadership and looks forward to working with parliamentarians to put youth services back on sustainable footing.”
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I fully support bringing back and expanding Council run youth services, but placing an obligation on Councils to provide a service without providing the funding needed would just be a cut to other services. The Government’s plans may sound ambitious, but what they have announced is a 10-year strategy: the changes and money are not going to be available immediately.
As Mayor of Croydon, I will happily work with Natasha and our other MPs to pressure the Government into restoring youth services and going further than they have announced so far. Our young people deserve a proper investment in them and their futures.
Can I ask how is the funding going to provided to Croydon Council if the bill is passed? Noting Croydon Council is Bankrupt and have Government appointed commissioners in!