Councils risk missing out on central government funding, if they fail to engage young people when setting budgets. This was the key message from minister for children, young people and families, Beverley Hughes, as she set out the Government's 10-year youth strategy. The aim is to ‘change, radically, the landscape of youth provision', with money sourced from unclaimed assets in dormant bank accounts and from DCSF funding. This will be supported over 2008-11 by £184M of new money, in addition to £495m of continuing funding and reinvestment of unclaimed assets. However, Ms Hughes told The MJ the availability of funding to councils would be on the condition of involving young people in how the money was spent. The target is for young people to have a direct influence over at least 25% of council budgets for positive activities by 2018. ‘This is very much an extension of something we have already started,' she said. ‘So far, the youth opportunity fund has proven positive and young people involved feel good. This is something local authorities should build on.' The Local Government Association welcomed the move to put young people ‘in the driving seat' when designing youth services and giving them a say on council spending. ‘Young people have shown that when they get the chance to take responsibility, they rise to the challenge,' said Cllr Les Lawrence, chairman of the LGA's children and young people board. The youth strategy has also stated it expects local authorities, youth offending teams and PCTs to pool budgets. Ms Hughes said this would hopefully see an end of vulnerable young people being targeted by different groups, but instead provided with one, joined-up approach.
