John Todd Wins First Round In Battle To Save Hogarth Youth Centre
Hounslow Council's youth budget cutbacks must be reconsidered before final decision is taken
Councillor John Todd's has won a victory in his battle to save Hogarth Youth Centre and other youth clubs in the borough from closure.
Last night's (Tuesday, September 18th) meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, where he presented his case against Hounslow Council's youth budget cutbacks, unanimously agreed the matter should be referred back for the Council's Cabinet for reconsideration.
The Committee said after the meeting that it was "concerned that the scale and pace in the reduction of funding for Youth Services risks the future of youth centres in the borough."
The Committee's decision that the issue be reconsidered is a blow for Hounslow Council which had already agreed £650,000 worth of savings to youth services across the borough. This would lead to the destaffing and closure of the Hogarth Centre in Duke Road as well as youth centres in Hounslow and Hanworth.
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee wants the Cabinet, which originally sanctioned the cutbacks, to look again at the scale of funding reduction in this area; ensure any change from one model to another happens more progressively allowing greater time for adaptation; and makes a final decision once the result of the commissioning is known and the impact is fully understood. The committee also wants to see the outcome of these discussions again.
However the overall decision will be taken by Cabinet, so the future of the clubs remains uncertain. It is, however, a victory for families and supporters of the youth centres who argued that the Council's consultation was hasty and they felt their views had not been taken into account.
Councillor Todd had described the cutbacks to youth services as "pernicious". He made the case that the cutbacks should be re-evaluated and that Hounslow's cutbacks were the third worst of all the London boroughs.
He commented: 'I'm delighted that the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee accepted my submission and related evidence and unanimously
referred the cabinet's earlier decision on agreed cuts to the youth service
back to them so they can reconsider their earlier decision.
"During my enquiries I visited three youth clubs and conducted a
detailed review of the youth service finances. The Cabinet report did
not clarify the full extent of the cuts made, namely a total of £750k
rather than £650k mentioned in the report. A budget cut of 78% is
draconian and unnecessary. I now hope the cabinet can materially amend
the extent of their earlier budget reduction so that our youth clubs can
continue their valued work in the community."
MP Ruth Cadbury and LA member Tony Arbour had also voiced their concern about cutbacks as the borough has a relatively small youth service.
Hounslow Council's current youth service budget is £865,000 but is set to be reduced by £650,000 in March 2018, leaving £215,000, with three years of additional transitional funding of £150,000 a year. The Centre in Duke Road would no longer have full-time staffing as the Council proposed a detached 'mobile' service of youth workers to provide help on the streets across the borough. They would use community facilities in emergencies.
Cllr Todd says his research of funding across all London boroughs shows that Hounslow, in real terms, would suffer the greatest loss of funding- a 78% drop. This would be in a borough which already has a 32% poverty level. This compares to Ealing, which after its cutbacks would still have a youth budget of £580,000, more than double that of Hounslow. You can read Cllr Todd's submission to the Council about their proposals.
The centre in Duke Road is managed by the charitable Hogarth Trust and partly funded by Hounslow Council. There has already been an angry response in Chiswick with a petition and a march of over 100 people to Hounslow Council's headquarters at the Civic Centre. Over 200 people attended the consultation meeting in Chiswick.
Those who have spoken out against the cutbacks include
former Chiswick sergeant Dave Turtle who fears closure could lead to anti-social
behaviour, and local school head teachers who spoke of the benefits to
their pupils.
September 19, 2017