A REVIVAL of Oxfordshire’s ‘broken’ youth service is desperately needed as youth clubs in the county struggle, a leading councillor has said.

Emma Turnbull, shadow spokesperson for education and cultural services at Oxfordshire County Council, says youngsters are not receiving the services that they need and is calling for the council to act by pledging more cash.

The authority has cut funding in youth services by 33 per cent and has lost 136 youth worker posts since 2011.

Wolvercote Young People’s Club (WYPC) is worried that its survival is at risk without council support.

Ms Turnbull said: “Our young people are left with a patchwork of provision that is difficult to access and, in some areas, has virtually disappeared.

“Our youth services are broken, and are in desperate need of secure, long-term investment.”

Other youth clubs in Oxfordshire have managed to secure cash from other sources in order to survive.

The future of a popular Wantage club, Sweatbox, was guaranteed after it moved to the grounds of King Alfred’s Academy. It is funded by the school after the council pulled out in 2011.

However, data obtained by the Local Government Association has revealed that more than 600 youth centres were lost across the UK between 2012 and 2016.

Ms Turnbull said that the cost of not having enough youth services in Oxfordshire could be huge.

She said: “Without somewhere to go and somebody to talk to, young people have an increased risk of unhealthy relationships and behaviours.”

Judith Secker, chair of the board at WYPC, said that if the council don’t help with providing funds, it could close in two years’ time.

“It would be a real loss. We need these youth services because they really do impact young people’s lives.”

Without council funding, it is difficult to maintain the building in which young people meet, Ms Secker said.

She added: “Since the council stopped funding us, we are now responsible for maintaining the interior and exterior building. This also includes doing fire safety checks and disabled access checks. They’ve also increased our rent by thousands.”

Young people between the ages of 12 and 19 can go to WYPC and participate in sports and activities such as cooking, art, basketball and football.

Sasha East, youth worker at the club, believes the misconception about young people needs to change and that there is more to their lives than getting an education.

She said: “Some youth have nowhere to be other than school but it’s not all about education, sometimes young people need to just relax.”

The council said although cuts have been made to youth clubs, it has invested in other youth services.

It said: “Posts have been created in early help and edge of care services, there’s a specialist exploitation team, new care homes and supported housing and lodgings for young people."