Funding cuts have led to the closure of more than two-thirds of council-run youth centres in England and Wales since 2010, according to a trade union.
Unison found that 1,243 council-run youth centres closed between 2010 and 2023, with just 581 still in operation by the end of March last year.
By 2023, more than four in 10 councils (42%) no longer operated their own youth centres.
Unison warned that the loss of facilities and specialist workers to provide guidance and mentoring had put teenagers at risk of isolation, gang and knife culture, and anti-social activities on the streets.
The next government must take the issue seriously and invest in rebuilding the network of council youth centres and staff training, the union argued.
Unison head of local government Mike Short said: ‘Councils and the youth workers they employ can do a lot of good for local communities and help keep the streets safer too. But only if they are given the funding to do so.
‘Sadly a decade and more of austerity has undone much of the previous good work and created a lost generation of youngsters.’
The union also revealed that over a third (38%) of council-run children’s centres in England have closed since 2010, with number dropping from 3,106 to 1,168.
Unison warned that the closures have left many vulnerable families unable to access important early years support.
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