Millions of pounds of funding has been axed in potentially "devastating" cuts to council youth service budgets across south-west London in the last five years, according to a new report.
A report by London Assembly member Sian Berry, based on freedom of information requests sent to each borough council, found that all south-west London authorities had cut funding in the last five years.
The report also claims that 83 per cent of people working in the sector thought cuts to youth services had an effect on crime and anti-social behaviour, according to research from Unison.
From December 2015: Half of Kingston's youth clubs, including New Malden's Searchlight Centre, could close next year
Last year, Kingston Council announced it would be closing four of the borough’s eight youth clubs, including New Malden’s Searchlight centre, as part of funding cuts.
Ms Berry said: “Government cuts have hit all London councils hard, and youth services have been put on the chopping block across our city as a result.
“The impact of these cuts could be devastating. Good quality youth services help prevent young people from falling into crime and also make them less vulnerable to the exploitation of groups like gangs.”
Sian Berry and Robert Clayton at Grove Park Youth Centre
Ms Berry has called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to step in to help save youth clubs, claiming it would help achieve City Hall’s ambitions for crime prevention in the capital.
Across London more than £22m was cut from youth service budgets in five years, an average of £1m per council.
Achieving for Children, Kingston and Richmond’s joint child services provider, had its budget cut by just less than £200,000.
Wandsworth Council has made the biggest cuts to its services of the south-west London councils, slashing its funding by £1,772,245 to £2,732,694 – a cut of almost 49 per cent to its budget.
In 2011, Wandsworth Council announced it would be axing five youth clubs as part of an effort to save £55m over two years.
To view the figures for each borough visit london.gov.uk.
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