Huge shake-up of Telford youth clubs on the cards
Officials have proposed a massive shake-up in the way youth activities are organised and paid for in Telford and Wrekin as the borough council "risks non-compliance with its statutory duty".
The current ‘fragmented’ model of youth provision includes borough-wide activities, clubs paid for and run by town and parish councils and support at Family Hubs and partner organisations.
But a report to a committee meeting this week was told that it “lacks consistency, coordination, and quality assurance, leading to unequal access and missed opportunities for early intervention and support".
A report by Simon Wellman, the council’s education and skills director, said: “Maintaining the current fragmented model risks non-compliance with the council’s statutory duty, which requires local authorities to secure, so far as reasonably practicable, sufficient leisure-time activities and facilities for young people aged 13–19, and up to 24 for those with SEND.”
The council is now proposing to get a budget together from wherever it can and commission certain services to last a number of years.
The report to the meeting of the children and young people scrutiny committee was told that the “proposed commissioned model aligns with the statutory guidance issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport".
This guidance “emphasises the importance of a coordinated local youth offer that prioritises areas of greatest need, engages young people in shaping provision, and supports a mixed economy of delivery".
“This approach enables the council to fulfil its legal obligations while promoting innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity across all wards,” the report read.
But the report author warns that although there is “existing resource available within current budgets” its “current funds are limited".
As a way of beefing up the budget to pay for multi-year contracts the commissioning process will encourage town and parish councils to chip in and for providers to apply for external funding.
Under plans revealed at the meeting contracts will be awarded as early as spring 2026 with the launch of the commissioned Youth Offer next summer. Before then a public consultation is planned on the new youth strategy.
Youth work is set to be targeted at priority groups and be based on the ideas of young people themselves.
A report shown to councillors said more than 85 per cent of a young person’s waking hours are spent outside of school and formal education.
“The quality and accessibility of recreational and educational leisure-time activities during these hours have a profound impact on young people’s development, well-being, and life chances,” the report says.
Telford & Wrekin Council had operated a centrally managed youth service with a network of youth clubs before a decade of “shifts in national policy and reductions in funding led to a transition toward more community-based and partnership-led models of delivery".
This introduced “inconsistencies in access, quality, and sustainability across the borough".
But the report now says there is a “renewed national focus on youth services".
“Going forward, the proposal is for the council to commit to delivering a commissioned, needs-led youth offer that reflects national priorities, meets statutory requirements, and is shaped by the voices of young people across Telford and Wrekin,” the report says.
The new approach will ensure that “young people from all backgrounds, including those with SEND, aged 16–18, or from underrepresented communities, can access meaningful, developmentally appropriate experiences".
It has been listening to young people including SEND, LGBTQIA+, and “underrepresented communities” as a part of the process.
A consultation on the new Youth Strategy is set to be launched this autumn with a commissioning framework finalised this winter.
