Vulnerable young people across Surrey will be hit hardest by more than £400,000 worth of cuts to youth services approved by the county council’s Conservative cabinet, an opposition councillor has claimed.
Surrey County Council scrapped the grants it provides to organisations offering young people’s early help services – including mental health services and safeguarding of vulnerable people – last week.
The cabinet ended funding for neighbourhood local prevention grants as part of a series of ongoing cuts – including £72million of unspecified cuts to frontline services – to try to balance its budget after the Tory government cut its annual grant by £170million since 2010.
The cuts – totalling £450,000 by 2018-19 – would mean there would be fewer opportunities for the thousands of young people (2,058 in 2015-16) who accessed mental health services and help and advice on sexual health and relationships, assessors found.
Councillor Chris Botten, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Children & Education (pictured below), said: "These cuts affect the most vulnerable young people in Surrey.
“Intervening at this stage in their lives is crucial and these cuts could mean much more expensive interventions from the county council further down the line.
“I recognise that there needs to be some re-focussing of services for young people, but this cut is a threat to children's mental health and it is my priority in my work in this area to ensure that children's mental health, and the services which promote it, are properly protected.”
Council officers recommended de-commissioning the grants
Surrey County Council cabinet member for children Clare Curran (pictured below) said it was “with regret” that the cabinet made the cuts on Tuesday, May 30.
She said: “This is by no means a cessation of the work we do for children and young people.
“It’s not something we want to do, but it is something that we have to do.”
From December: Surrey County Council forced to dip into 'largest ever use of reserves' to address £15 million overspend
In March, it was revealed that frontline services face nearly £72million of cuts this year, with the adult social care, highways, health, and children, school and families budgets to be slashed as the council looks to offset £170million of sustained government cuts in the past seven years.
All of the charities and organisations affected by the loss of the council grants had reassured Cllr Curran that they would still continue to provide help to children and young people, she added.
Cllr Curran said: “It is hard for any organisation to take a reduction in income, but none of these will be driven out of business by the loss of this agreement.”
Will you be affected by the cuts? Get in touch at craig.richard@london.newsquest.co.uk
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