New team will oversee youth services in Blackpool

The aim is among a raft of measures included in a review of the service carried out last year.

Blackpool Council, which scrapped its youth services in 2012, is in the process of setting up a team to oversee and co-ordinate provision in the town but will not run its own youth clubs.

It had been accused of neglecting the youth sector with a report saying “third sector providers feel there has been a significant lack of support and recognition from Blackpool Council for the work they do for young people in their areas.”

The new team will include a youth service manager, who is due to start the role at the end of March, a grants and funding manager, a training and quality manager, a youth engagement officer and administration support, with the full team set to be in post by the end of this summer.

The aim of the new service is for every young person in Blackpool to live within 15 minutes of some kind of youth provision, with a annual funding of £225,000 agreed by Blackpool Council last year to support it.

The report to the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Committee adds: “This new service will not undertake any direct youth work delivery with young people, but will focus on ensuring a town wide approach to developing and delivering youth provision.”

This will include working alongside the third sector and young people to develop funding bids, allocate funds, monitor delivery and “ultimatelyincrease the amount and type of provision delivered.”

The review, carried out by the National Youth Agency and Youth Focus North West, recommended a resort-wide strategy with young people playing a leading part in its implementation.

It said provision should be available throughout the town within a 15 minute walk of any young person’s home, and also found youth workers were under-resourced with many parents saying they could not afford to send their children to activities.

There was also a need for a shake-up because many teenagers did not attend youth groups because they found what was on offer was “boring” and did not appeal to them.