Find a YMCA
Search Website
Close
Menu
-
YMCA
-
About Us
-
Campaigning
-
YMCA during war
Back -
-
What we do
-
Get Involved
-
Shops
-
YMCA
-
About Us
-
Campaigning
-
YMCA during war
Back -
-
What we do
-
Get Involved
-
Shops
News
Policy & Reasearch
Gabriella Kumah
|
16 May 2025
YMCA Statement in Response to Youth Service Funding Announcement
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy announced new funding for youth services in 2025-26. This welcome investment includes £28 million to increase young people’s access to activities and opportunities, which breaks down into:
- £7.5 million to increase access to uniformed youth organisations.
- £12 million to boost open access provision, providing youth organisations funding to deliver more youth work and activities across England where young people may be at risk of becoming involved in anti-social behaviour.
- £4.7 million to increase access to outdoor learning.
- £1.5 million to Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to increase access to the scheme for special educational schools; alternative provision and pupil referral units; and mainstream schools in areas of high deprivation.
- Over £2.4 million to give young people a voice on the issues that matter most to them through the UK Youth Parliament; and to improve local places through a new approach to our youth social action funding.
This announcement is a welcome first step on the road to rebuilding the sector.
The announcement also included:
- Over £3 million to increase sector and workforce capacity.
- £8.2 million to improve local youth offers, which breaks down into:
- £8 million for the Local Youth Transformation Pilot, which will support local authorities to build back capability to improve their youth offers and empower young people in every community.
- £200,000 peer review programme, to provide local authorities the opportunity to access expert review of their youth offer as part of a model of sector-led improvement.
Close
The sector has now seen over a decade of cuts, amounting to 73% of youth services funding lost since 2010/11.
The Government also announced investment into youth centres, including:
- £79.4 million (£59.3 million Capital and £20.1 million Revenue) of re-profiled Youth Investment Fund Phase 2 to ensure the successful delivery of projects scheduled for completion in 2025/26.
- £27.8 million (£26 million Capital and £1.8 million revenue) for Better Youth Spaces, funding small scale-capital projects including equipment, small refurbishments and other capital projects. Support will be targeted in priority areas with further details to be announced in the summer.
- YMCA welcomes the announcement by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport of significant investment into youth services over the coming year.
Close
YMCA hope to see further investment to ensure that every young person can access high-quality youth services in their area.
This shows the Government’s recognition of the invaluable role that youth services play in young people’s lives:
Supporting their social skills, their mental health and wellbeing, and setting them up for success in life.
We are particularly pleased to see funding for local authorities to enable them to provide the local youth services which young people need, as well as much-needed investment in workforce capacity. Sadly the sector has now seen over a decade of cuts, amounting to 73% of youth services funding lost since 2010/11. This announcement is a welcome first step on the road to rebuilding the sector.
We look forward to seeing further plans from the Government in its National Youth Strategy, and we hope to see further investment to ensure that every young person can access high-quality youth services in their area.
Close