Young people would have "nowhere to go" if a Merseyside town's only youth club is forced to close.
Eastham Youth Space in Wirral has been running for decades supporting the local community with a space for children to gather, give advice for parents as well as mental health support for young people.
Wirral Council currently employs two staff at the centre at the St Anselmians Rugby Club but that could change as the local authority has proposed scaling back youth clubs across the borough. This is one of many proposed cuts to close its £32m budget gap.
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The council is proposing to reduce the service to the absolute minimum it is required to by law to provide and employ 68 staff across nine neighbourhoods on the Wirral as well as contributions to Birkenhead’s Hive Youth Zone.
If the cuts are made in the budget in February, the council said this would save them £666,000. The council has said no final decisions have been made at this point.
Councillor Chris Carubia said: “We have got to keep it open. The south end of the Wirral tends to miss out on an awful lot, even as one of the most deprived areas on the Wirral. It's the only thing we have down here for those children. There is nothing down this end.
“We councillors in Eastham fought tooth and nail to get this facility built for our residents in south Wirral. It is a fantastic facility which is well used and the only youth place at this end of the borough, which can feel neglected at times.
“It is a safe space for our youngsters who benefit from being allied with the Anselmian rugby club, being opposite Torr Park and our veterans sanctuary where they can receive the best guidance and grow into responsible adults with a great future ahead of them.”
Nicky Smith is a parent who uses the youth club regularly. She said the service is helpful as she can speak to the youth workers in confidence and get advice. She’s worried the youth club closing could make antisocial behaviour worse, a point also made during protests against cuts to children’s playgroups.
Nicky said: “They would have nowhere. There is nothing in Eastham for that age group. You’ve got the crime, the drugs and the guns. We don’t want our children getting involved in that.
“Closing it would mean more children on the streets causing mayhem, and because of the age group, it’s also a good place to meet new friends. It’s going to lead to more crime because at the moment they are safe in that environment. We can drop them off and pick them up knowing they’ll be fine.
“Children’s voices matter, they do. Do you cut back something else or shut the youth services because there isn’t anything else out there?”
If the youth club service was to stop, councillors and parents remain a little hopeful the building could continue to be used by the community as the building is owned by the council.
Cllr Carubia said he was helping set up a group of parents to negotiate with the council going forward if that happened, adding the group could apply for funding through the lottery, Sports England, and the government.
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