Downing Street invite for teenagers protesting against youth cuts

Elijah Peart, Max Coles-Morley, Seb Royle, and Boudicca Pepper each asked Brighton and Hove City Council’s Labour leader Warren Morgan about the impact of proposed cuts to youth services in Brighton and Hove.

He blamed the need for cuts on reduced grants from central Government and explained that cuts of £23m had to be made in the next year alone.

Cllr Morgan offered to take the four teenagers to Downing Street in early February, with them either taking a letter or petition setting out their concerns.

At a Policy, Resources, and Growth Committee meeting yesterday (Thursday January 19), he said: “There are huge demands on our budget that we have to meet.”

He added: “We find ourselves in the position of not being able to afford such services.

“We would be investing in those youth services – not cutting them – if the government weren’t taking tens of millions of pounds out of our budget each year.

“The government do need to listen – not just to politicians like me – but to young people like you who will be affected by this.”

He said that he was inviting them to Downing Street to deliver their message to the government – ‘so that they understand the impact that these cuts are having’.

The council said this week: “The proposal is for a significant reduction of £800,000 on a net budget that is currently just over £1 million which would lead to the overall budget being just over £200,000.”

A consultation is underway until Sunday February 12.