Angry councillors in Derry and Strabane have agreed to write an urgent letter to the Education Authority (EA) to express severe concerns about massive planned cuts to youth services in the district.
Sinn Féin councillor Emma McGinley told the Health and Community Committee a third of the funding for the services — such as youth clubs and summer schemes — would be slashed.
The council will also write to the chief of the Youth Work Alliance, John Lynch, expressing support for the retention of voluntary youth services.
Ms McGinley and other councillors met Mr Lynch recently to outline the impact the cuts by the EA would have.
“They mean a reduction in the number of days services will be open, a cap in the numbers per session at 35 and limits to access the provision as junior youth services for five to eight year olds, summer schemes, intervention schemes and pathway schemes are not provided for within the current proposals,” Ms McGinley said.
“For Derry City and Strabane council area this means a 33% reduction in funding for our youth services — take a second to think about that because I think it is disgraceful.
“Our youth workers are the backbone of our community and they should be valued and be supported, not stripped of resources.”
Seconding the proposal, SDLP councillor Brian Tierney called the impact of the proposed cuts “frightening”.
He said: “What does this mean for Derry? No youth clubs, no summer schemes and no working with 18+.”
Mr Tierney also said that 120 children with learning difficulties would miss out on youth club places.
“This needs and deserves a governmental response and we can’t get it, we don’t have it,” he said.
“We don’t have anyone who can step in and protect these people. Are people really telling me that the (Northern Ireland) Protocol is so important?
“This is the time where services across our community, people in our community are being impacted by the fact we have no government.
“I’m going to predict it that when a DUP representative comes on they will try and tell me you got your mandate at the last Assembly election blah de blah de blah – you’re right we did, but we have a job at Stormont to do and that’s hold ministers to account, we can’t do it.”
The proposal to write to the EA passed unanimously.
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