WEYMOUTH councillor Clare Sutton has called for extra funding for youth clubs across the county.

She says the one remaining full-time youth club in Weymouth and Portland, STEPS, is having to find an extra £18,000 a year, a 30 per cent increase.

Cllr Sutton has asked why Dorset Council is not considering that youth clubs are a special case for extra funding when they offer so much support to many families.

“Can the council please consider making a 'cost of living' grant available to youth clubs which have been working so hard to keep youth work alive in Dorset and support our young people through these difficult times? “she asked at Tuesday’s Dorset Council Cabinet meeting.

Cllr Sutton’s comments came during a meeting which unanimously approved setting up a £2million cost of living fund for Dorset individuals in need.

“The £2 million for Cost of Living support wasn’t in the budget but it’s been found, which is very welcome, but what concerns me is, first of all, it doesn’t seem very democratic, but also, it doesn’t give us all a say in what’s the best way to allocate additional resources in relation to the cost of living crisis.

“Is it too late to consider whether some of that £2million pounds might be better repurposed towards not supporting individuals but supporting groups that support many of those individuals or, failing that, that additional resources could be found in that regard?" she said.

She told the meeting that many Dorset youth clubs had closed since the previous council withdrew financial support for 22 clubs in 2016, and while some had been taken on by community groups, many now found themselves in financial difficulties.

“Like many voluntary sector organisations, they are struggling with the cost of living crisis.  Whilst they can apply for up to £5,000 per year for project funding from Dorset Council’s Youth Fund, many may close without additional support. For example, at STEPS Club for Young People, where I am a trustee, utility costs have risen from around £6,000 to £14,000 per annum. In addition, Dorset Council is about to finally complete the Lease arrangement with the Charity, after which they will be responsible for additional building contracts totalling around £5,000 and a further £5000 for building insurance every year.  The Club, the only full time youth centre in Weymouth & Portland, will have to find an additional £18,000 per year, an overall rise in expenditure of almost 30%” said Cllr Sutton.

Dorchester councillor Les Fry supported Cllr Sutton’s comments saying that the county town youth club, like STEPS, did important work in the community but was also struggling for funding.

He said that while grants for capital projects could occasionally be applied for it was the revenue, or running costs, which the clubs found difficult.

He warned that if the clubs failed the support they were offering, often to vulnerable children, would fall back to the council and other organisations.

Council leader Spencer Flower said that youth clubs were able to apply to the council for grants, but said that with around 4,000 voluntary sector community organisations all feeling the impact of Covid and now the cost of living crisis, the council had to balance its funding from limited resources.

Education and children’s services Portfolio holder Cllr Andrew Parry said despite the comments there was still support for youth work – often through targeted outreach workers provided by the council.

He said that not all the county’s youth clubs were struggling and, in some area, town or parish councils were providing annual support grants to help them provide a service.