Ruth welcomes new £30 million funding for youth services

Young people in the Boroughs of Hounslow and Richmond are set to benefit from a major new £30 million investment in youth services, as the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launches the landmark ‘Youth Lates’ programme to bring high-quality youth clubs back into every community.

The programme will deliver at least one late-night youth club in every London borough, giving young people safe spaces to go after school, in the evenings and at weekends — with access to activities, mentoring, mental health support and food all under one roof.

This is the biggest ever investment in youth clubs by a Mayor and forms part of a wider plan to keep Londoners safe by tackling the root causes of crime, alongside record investment in policing.

The Youth Lates programme builds on the Mayor’s successful Violence Reduction Unit, which has already delivered more than 550,000 interventions to prevent young people being drawn into crime, alongside mentoring support for over 100,000 young Londoners.

It comes alongside record investment of £1.26 billion in policing and crime prevention across London, helping to drive down violence - with homicides at their lowest level on a per capita basis and youth violence significantly reduced.

The new youth clubs are expected to begin rolling out this year, ensuring that no young Londoner is left behind.

Welcoming this announcement Ruth said,

‘‘This new funding for late night youth clubs will make a huge difference for young people across Hounslow and Richmond.

I know from having visited youth clubs that they provide a great service for young people and offer a safe space for activities like sports and music, while allowing young people to access services such as employment support and mental health support. It offers a safe third space outside of the home or school and they are so important in helping young people.

Years of cuts by previous Governments have hollowed out our youth services leaving many young people at risk.

I’m really pleased about this investment and the huge benefits it will bring to West London.’’