THE youth service in Wiltshire has been “virtually abolished” in a fresh move that will leave Malmesbury without a single dedicated youth worker.

Two years ago 144 community youth officers covered Wiltshire, now just five remain.

Under new plans by Wiltshire Council a group of ‘locality youth facilitators’ (LYFs) will deliver youth activities in Wiltshire. They will delegate activities and funds to groups in the community to provide youth services.

The LYFs will be spread over much larger areas than the previous youth officers covered however, leading to claims that the youth will suffer as a result.

Wiltshire Council member Jon Hubbard chairs the children’s select committee for the council.

He says the new plans represent the destruction of the youth service in the county.

“There is no youth service in Wiltshire now,” he said. “A total of 144 professional youth workers are now down to five LYFs, which means most community areas see will see a youth worker maybe one day a week.

“These LYFs are not able to work with young people, they are simply there to encourage other people to work with young people.

“It is a real body blow to the 18 youth officers that have thrown themselves heart and soul into the community and building relationships with bodies delivering for those communities.

“The early stages of building the local youth service has been ripped aside and groups are left floundering.”

Cllr Hubbard said the plans are “saving today to spend tomorrow”.

“They will be paying for it back down the line because you’ll have to pick up the pieces,” he said.

“Something people need to recognise is that youth work isn’t organising a game of rounders or hosting a junior disco.

“It’s working with a large number of young people and identifying small groups of young people’s needs and wants and doing carefully targeted work to help them address the real challenges in their lives.

“It is preventative work that professional people did. It means less people going on to break the law and doing things like anti-social behaviour. We don’t have people doing that targeted work now.

“Youth workers were breaking cycles, seeing young people develop aspirations, something they will not get now.

“Wiltshire Council’s response to youth work is have some form of activity for young people. Most villages were providing activities anyway, but real youth work is identifying the needs of people whose needs are not being met.

“It will take a few years to see the impact but it will be very real and harsh on communities.

“It is a scandal that they’ve just cast aside a whole generation.”

Malmesbury Town Council member Gavin Grant is chairman of HEALS of Malmesbury, a community group that helps vulnerable people in the area.

He said the plans will particularly hurt vulnerable young people in community and due to Malmesbury’s rural nature, it could be left behind under the new plans.

“I’m worried that small communities like Malmesbury that had their own youth worker will now be put in with some other area, most likely a larger town, which will mean more work for this officer to do,” he said.

“There is a danger the smaller town will miss out.

“The knowledge a youth worker has of identifying young people who are potentially vulnerable is needed to be able to start looking at what we can all do to provide help for that person.

“The danger is now this is becoming a bureaucratic post that will deal with committees in council and not have that close organic connection with young people in schools.

“The youth service is virtually abolished. It was a big job for 144 youth officers and there aren’t less young people in Wiltshire now.”

Wiltshire Council have insisted they are not leaving the youth of the county behind in an effort to save money.

A spokesperson for the council said: “From June there will be an even greater emphasis on area board and community involvement as the LYFs will work collaboratively over a wider area.

“They will support local youth networks and their management groups and area boards will continue to have funding to help local providers deliver positive activities for young people.”