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| The £5m Roundwood Centre in Harlesden |
The last consultation on the future of Youth Services in Brent will be held on Sunday afternoon from 2pm to 5pm at the Civic Centre. The proposed change would hand over the Youth Service to a consortium of voluntary and community groups which will be charged with raising money from sources other than the Council. If this is not forthcoming services will be cut and some centres may close. Implicit in the Council's arguments so far is the belief that the voluntary sector can run things better that the Council at less cost - this could of course also be seen as the Council washing its hands of the Youth Service. I have been unable to find any written representations made by Brent Youth Parliament but would be happy to publish them if they are forwarded to me. The consulation closes on August 14th and proposals will go to Cabinet ont October 19th.
It is interesting that this meeting takes place at a time when the role of charities in providing youth and children's services is under close scrutiny.
Brent's blurb on the meeting reads:
The consultation sessions will help participants to understand the budget challenges Brent Council is facing and their implications for reshaping our youth offer, and to identify the sort of services that can best meet the needs of Brent's young people. They will discuss the future of existing youth centres such as Roundwood and Granville Youth Plus Arts as well services such as support for Duke of Edinburgh's Awards and Brent in Summer.
For more information and to have your say online, visit www.brent.gov.uk/youthserviceconsultation'
Unfortunately when I clicked on the link above I was told 'Page Not Found'. This link worked at time of writing: http://brent-consult.objective.co.uk/portal/candf/brent_youth_services
The first page of the consulation indicates where the Council is coming from:
The
Council is considering supporting a new partnership provisionally called the
Young Brent Foundation (YBF) which is being developed by voluntary and
community sector partners who fund and work with young people in Brent. To
what extent do you agree or disagree with the Council supporting this sort of
partnership?
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To
what extent do you agree or disagree that a new partnership like the Young
Brent Foundation (YBF) will be in a stronger position than the Council to
develop new ways of promoting and strengthening youth service providers in
Brent?
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To
what extent do you agree or disagree that a new partnership like the Young
Brent Foundation (YBF) will be able to deliver youth services with less money
from the Council and raise more money from other sources?
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The Cabinet has already decided to continue to fund the Brent Youth Parliament but this is included as an option:
