Services for young people
For many young people, especially in disadvantaged communities, youth services give young people the skills and opportunities they would otherwise miss out on. Back in 2009, 40% of Londoners aged between 11 and 16 reported attending a youth club least weekly. (GLA Young Londoners' Survey, 2009). Between 2010 and 2019 funding cuts to local authorities led to a big reduction in youth provision with around 30% of youth clubs closing.
XLP
As part of the My Ends project in Lewisham, youth charity XLP runs a mobile youth club on the Pepys estate, has developed mentoring and lunchtime support at a local secondary school, focusing on children who are struggling with their learning, behaviour, bullying or risk of exclusion; and runs a will run a drama club on the Turnham estate.
Barking and Dagenham Youth Dance (BDYD)
BDYD is a grassroots charity delivering dance and leadership projects for children and young people aged 5-19. In 2025 BDYD produced a powerful showcase exploring decolonising the body and reimagining youth decision-making, using movement as a tool for change..
Research has found that young people affected by these closures performed 4% worse in exams at age 16 and became 14% more likely to commit crimes (IFS, 2024) At the same time across England young people’s mental health has been getting worse; in 2023, one in five children and young people aged eight to 25 had a probable mental health condition (NHS England, 2023) and the wait for access to services is getting ever longer - 78,577 young people referred to CAMHS waited over a year for treatment in 2023/24, an increase of over 52% on the previous year (Young Minds, 2025).
Against this backdrop it is very welcome that the Government has committed to invest in a network of Young Futures Hubs across the country which will offer young people mental health support, careers advice and aim to steer them away from crime. In London these must build on the success of the work of the Greater London Authority’s Violence Reduction Unit which recognises that the young people who experience violence on our streets are also disproportionately affected by poverty and lack of opportunity and directly seeks to address this, for example through the community-led MyEnds programme.
Moreover, while the injection of funds through Young Future Hubs is welcome, funding must also filter down to provide support for core costs for those delivering youth services in local communities.
Calls to Action
We urge the Government to go faster and further with its plans for Young Futures Hubs so that all young people have access high quality youth provision and mental health support in their local communities. These services must be co-designed with young people.
Local authorities and the GLA should work together to provide sustainable funding for the core costs of VCSE organisations delivering youth services in London.
Local authorities and the GLA should look at how they can help to facilitate better communication and joint-working between schools and youth services to better support disadvantaged young people who are at risk of becoming disconnected from the education system.
The GLA should consider how it can support the youth sector in London to recruit and retain skilled youth workers. The high-skilled, relational practice of youth workers which helps young people to thrive must be valued far more highly.
