Funding cuts to youth clubs

Heard about this story because a friend of mine who I went to university with now works in this area. She directed me to the story in the Guardian which focuses on funding cuts in Sheffield, but surely the point is that it could be any city or town in the UK. The perception is that youth clubs are seen as a soft service as opposed to core which seems a bit short sighted to me.

Anyway, the story is here and if you're studying youth work it's worth a look. In related news, Sir Merrick Cockell, chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA) has gone on record here to highlight proposed council cuts and the likely effects this will have. It also mentions youth clubs as well as adult social care, libraries and child protection services. It makes for grim reading, but many of you require figures to back up what might happen next for assignments, so I thought it worth sharing.