Labour reveals national youth strategy with vow to give every young person 'something meaningful to do'

Young people across England will benefit from more than £500 million of new investment as the government publishes its long-awaited national youth strategy, the first comprehensive plan for youth services in 15 years.

Ministers say the decade-long initiative will begin to reverse years of cuts that saw youth spending fall by 73%, more than 1,000 youth centres close, and 4,500 youth worker roles disappear. The strategy has been shaped with input from more than 14,000 young people and promises to give every young person “somewhere to go, something meaningful to do, and someone who cares”.

The full plan, released this morning (10 December), outlines a sweeping package that aims to tackle rising levels of youth isolation, improve access to early mental health support and expand the number of trusted adults available to young people in their communities. It also signals a shift in the government’s approach to youth policy, with ministers pledging more joined-up working between departments and a renewed focus on what young people themselves say they need.

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The strategy arrives after a period in which many communities have seen their youth services hollowed out, leaving young people without safe spaces to go or stable relationships with trained youth workers.
Ministers say the document published today represents the start of a long-term programme of reform,
with new services expected to open from 2026 onwards.

A decade of decline

Youth services have experienced sustained erosion since 2010, when local authorities began making deep cuts to non-statutory provision. Many areas now have little or no open-access youth provision, and the State of the Nation survey released alongside today’s strategy finds that young people in England report some of the highest levels of loneliness among comparable countries.

Jamie Masraff, chief executive of youth charity OnSide, told Big Issue: “Youth work is proven to be life-changing, improving wellbeing, educational attainment and safety, and giving young people the confidence and skills they need for life and work. Yet despite these clear benefits, youth provision has faced more than a decade of underinvestment and is too often treated as an afterthought. If we want positive childhoods for all, this must change.

“Today’s national youth strategy, the first in nearly 20 years, is a significant step forward in prioritising young people and the vital support they deserve, through recognising the essential role of youth work and committing further investment in the skilled workforce behind it.

Ministers say today’s strategy is intended to mark a turning point. It draws on one of the largest youth consultations ever undertaken in England, alongside workshops with charities, academics and practitioners across the youth sector.

Masraff added: “The pledge to ensure trusted adults, especially youth workers, are present where and when young people need them most is particularly welcome, as is the investment to refurbish existing youth centres and build new facilities across the country. At OnSide, we see every day the extraordinary difference youth workers and youth centres make for thousands of young people across our network of Youth Zones.

“We hope this strategy marks the end of the long-term decline in youth services and the beginning of a renewed, ambitious partnership between government and the youth sector. Young people need this Strategy to succeed – for their futures, and for the future of the country.” 

What the strategy contains

The strategy promises a significant expansion of youth provision over the next decade. Central to the plan is the creation of hundreds of new or refurbished youth spaces, along with a network of Young Futures Hubs that will act as local centres for early support. The first eight hubs are due to open by March next year in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, County Durham, Nottingham, Bristol, Tower Hamlets and Brighton and Hove, with 50 expected to be in place by 2029.

Further investment is intended to help rebuild youth work in areas that have lost the most provision, and to create new programmes around the school day that focus on wellbeing, resilience and life skills. The government is also committing new funding for the recruitment and training of youth workers and volunteers, acknowledging that many communities no longer have the staffing capacity to run the services young people say they want.

Prime minister Keir Starmer said the publication of the strategy marked a moral mission to place young people at the centre of national renewal.

“Every young person deserves the chance to see their talents take them as far as their ability can,” he said. “This strategy invests in their potential and begins the long process of repairing years of neglect.”

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy said the strategy reflects what young people have repeatedly asked for.

“The challenges facing young people today are urgent and demand a major change in direction. For too long, youth policy has been an afterthought.

“Young people have been crystal clear in speaking up in our consultation: they need support for their mental health, spaces to meet with people in their communities and real opportunities to thrive. We will give them what they want.”

Concerns over delivery and capacity

While the strategy has been welcomed across much of the youth sector, many organisations say the government must confront the scale of the challenge ahead. Years of cuts have left some communities with no buildings, no staff and no infrastructure from which to rebuild. There is concern that the areas with the strongest existing capacity may benefit first, potentially deepening the postcode lottery in access to youth provision.

There are also wider pressures that could limit the impact of the strategy. Youth homelessness remains high, mental health services are struggling with long waits, and upcoming changes to universal credit will reduce financial support for some disabled young people. Several charities warn that unless departments work together more closely, the benefits of the new investment may not be felt by the most vulnerable young people.

Ella Nuttall, policy and research manager at Centrepoint, told Big Issue: “Too many young people are finding themselves in crisis and don’t have the support networks that they need. The national youth strategy builds on networks from years ago which did intervene before the point of crisis, and marks an important commitment to investing in young people’s futures. 

“It has the potential to unlock brighter futures for many more young people, and we look forward to seeing meaningful action that delivers real change for those who need it most.”

Calls for transparency and long-term commitment

Sector leaders say they will be scrutinising how progress is measured and who will be accountable if delivery stalls. Many want reassurance that youth services will not once again be vulnerable to cuts during the next spending cycle.

Responding to the government’s 10-year youth plan, councillor Amanda Hopgood, chair of the Local Government Association’s children, young people and families committee, told Big Issue: “We are pleased the government has announced this plan as it is vital there is a national strategy for children and young people.

“Councils share the government’s ambition to ensure young people get the support they need to flourish in life, be more connected in their communities and that they have access to trusted adults in their lives.

“It is good government has announced investment in services for young people. However, this needs to be backed with support for the workforce, access to leisure and culture, and ongoing collaboration with local government to ensure it makes a difference for local communities, and importantly, children and young people.”

As the strategy is published today, organisations say they hope it represents the beginning of a sustained effort to rebuild the spaces, relationships and opportunities that young people have repeatedly said they need in order to thrive.

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