Former Councillor takes to national stage to make rallying call for youth services!

A FORMER Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Councillor has taken to a national platform to call for youth services to be refunded and revitalised.

Mathew Hulbert, who represented Barwell from 2011 to 2015, has changed his party's policy on the issue by successfully proposing a motion at the Liberal Democrats national Autumn Conference in Bournemouth.

The axe has been taken to youth services by local authorities up and down the Country, including here in Leicestershire, which has resulted in many professional youth workers losing their jobs and youth clubs and other services being either reduced or closed altogether.

Mr Hulbert's speech was broadcast live on BBC Parliament.

He says, ''It was a great honour to have the opportunity to raise this very important issue on a national stage.

Youth services, be it street-based youth work, counselling, universal youth work and so on, are a vital part in ensuring we're raising a new generation ready to face the World and the many challenges and opportunities it provides.''

''When youth services are cut it all too often hurts the least well-off and most vulnerable young people in our society.''

''Thanks to my motion the Liberal Democrats now have a policy which says the funding of youth services be placed on a statutory funding, which will give those providing them the certainty they need.''

''It also calls for the Government to hold an urgent review of youth services to see where there are gaps in provision and, where possible, for those services to be refunded.''

Mr Hulbert, who was HBBC's Children and Young People's Champion until May this year, continued

''Here in Leicestershire, the Tory-run County Council recently announced a further £800,000 worth of cuts to children, young people and families services which-if they are allowed to take place-will be simply devastating.''

''Whilst such cuts might ease budget pressures in the short term, I'd argue they end up costing the exchequer much more in the long-term.''

''I now look forward, along with Lib Dem Councillors and activists across the country, to campaigning on this new policy and showing we have young people and their concerns as a top priority.''