Shropshire youth provision plan 'not fit for purpose', says Mayor of Ludlow
A new agreed model of youth provision in Shropshire is not fit for purpose, the Mayor of Ludlow has said.
Councillor Tim Gill said Ludlow Town Council will not be able to afford to fund the town’s youth club – as it would be expected to under Shropshire Council’s new plans.
He said town and parish councils are suffering from years of "financial mismanagement" from Shropshire Council.
Shropshire Council said it has made the move will allow the authority to reach as many young, vulnerable young people as possible.
Town and parish councils will now have to step in and fund them, or the clubs will face closure.
Councillor Gill said: “This is the result of years of financial mismanagement from Shropshire Council and now we’re all paying for it.
“Six outreach workers, as far as I’m concerned, is a model that doesn’t work or deliver.
"It can’t achieve anything in Ludlow. It is not fit for purpose.”
'The youth is our future'
The decision made by cabinet will go before a scrutiny committee on Tuesday after it was claimed the overhaul is based on incorrect information.
It has been called in by the leader of Shropshire Council's Lib Dems, Councillor Roger Evans.
In a report that will go before members, it says Ludlow Town Council received £13,000 a year under the old Local Joint Committee (LJC) funding model.
Councillor Gill added: "The youth is our future and they are what keeps our town, and other more rural towns vibrant, so we need to make sure they are cared for and do not suffer. The real danger is that they will get forgotten about.
"When you stop you end up with nothing more than a retirement village and we do not want that. I want to see the youth of Ludlow thrive.
"Personally I would like to see the money Shropshire Council has for youth services shared out between town and parish councils so we can deliver them ourselves, because at the moment it's in a state."
Deputy clerk of Ludlow Town Council, Kate Adams, said the council will soon be entering discussions regarding youth services in Ludlow.
Shropshire Council said it has made the move will allow the authority to reach as many young, vulnerable young people as possible.
