Future of under-threat youth club hangs in the balance

The future of youth club Centre North East, in Whitchurch been uncertain for months after Shropshire Council announced it would be cutting back on services in a bid to save £150,000.

But at a meeting of the Whitchurch Area local joint committee, Shropshire Councillor Gerald Dakin confirmed the centre would be staying open until at least May half term.

It comes after news the committee has been granted a budget of £15,580 to commission youth services for the town.

Vice chairman of the committee Paul Gill said: "We recommend that this money would be used to provide youth worker time within a club setting.

"There would be three sessions a week that would include senior and junior age groups.

"From our research and focus groups, the big part that came out was the club setting. It needs to be relaxed, safe and a welcoming environment."

But it has not yet been decided whether those services would be provided at the popular Centre North East.

Current youth workers attended the meeting and claimed they had been informed of possible redundancies over a consultation period which has now come to an end.

But no-one was able to shed light on the long-term future of the building and workers did not know whether they had a future at the club.

Shropshire Councillor for Whitchurch South, Gerald Dakin said: "We are looking at all the options.

"We want to keep the building and to find someone to share the building with.

"What we do know is this time last year it was going to close – at least it is still open.

"We need somebody now to share the building with. We are hopeful that soon we will have a building we can share that will cost us very little."

But residents were sceptical of the claims, and many said Shropshire Council had "decided not to be able to afford the building", making cuts to youth services rather than elsewhere.

Last year, young people from around the town held protests over plans to axe the centre while the council held consultations on plans to cut between 18 and 24 of the 47 council-run youth sessions in the county.

Chairman of the committee and Shropshire Councillor Paul Wynn said: "We just need to make sure we make the best decision about the building and that means financially and for any services."

The committee will pull the finer details of plans to commission youth services over the next months and create an Invitation To Quote.

This report will include full details and invite companies, organisations and businesses to offer a quote on the services, which will then be contracted by Shropshire Council.