Youth Service Staff 'Freeze' Remains at Surrey County Council

11.34.00pm GMT Wed 23rd Jan 2008

Diana Smith speaking at County Hall

Tory-led Surrey County Council voted today to keep the freeze on youth service recruitment, despite the obvious damage it is causing to youth services throughout Surrey. Liberal Democrat Councillor Diana Smith (Knaphill) put forward a motion calling for an immediate end to the recruitment freeze, put in place in December 2007. But the ruling Tory group voted to keep the status quo.

Commenting on the motion, Diana Smith said: "We all know of Youth Centres that are left empty at evenings and weekends not simply because some of the hardest to reach young people won't go to them but because the Youth Service hasn't been able to recruit enough staff."

"So how come last December, there was a sudden total freeze on recruiting to the youth service? Interviews were even cancelled and recruitment rounds stopped. This has left some areas fully staffed and others with serious shortages (e.g. Runnymede is fully staffed, while Guildford is nearer half staffed)."

In a lively impassioned debate, the Liberal Democrats detailed "cuts on cuts". First, the Business Delivery Review (BDR) in April 2006 took £250,000 by cutting staff positions. Then in the current financial year, 07/08, another £595,000 savings were required, out of a budget of £5.8 million. This was found by using the money saved by Surrey's Youth Service being understaffed.

"The budget is being set for the coming year and that £595,000 saving has to be made again," says Diana Smith. "If posts are filled, there is no underspend available to meet it. There is very little else in the Youth Development service's controllable budget except staff costs. And this is just the start. Plans for cuts over the next three years would mean redundancies of front-line youth delivery staff - potentially 50% of all full-time youth worker posts.

"I believe there is scope for a long-term solution making better use of the resources we have in Surrey. The Liberal Democrats are waiting with great interest to see what form it may take."