Youth and play grants set to be awarded
A total of £1 million is set to be
awarded to voluntary and community groups in Liverpool to run youth and play
projects over the next year.
A report to the Cabinet is recommending that 26 projects are granted funding to
run schemes including youth clubs, play schemes and educational activities and
workshops.
Funding has also been given to run a number of City wide targeted play projects
for groups working with young people with disabilities and facing
discrimination. They include Calder Kids, the Young Persons Advisory Service and
Merseyside Play Action Council.
The aim of the ward-funded projects is to provide somewhere for young people to
go at evenings and weekends, in school holidays and at half term. Funding has
been targeted at poorer areas and the majority of it has gone to consortiums
which bring together different organisations. This has helped lever in
additional funding from other sources such as housing associations, the Mayoral
Neighbourhood Fund for ward Councillors and charities.
Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Councillor Steve Munby, said:- "This is
the culmination of several years work developing a more joined up approach to
working with young people at a local level.
Instead of groups competing for funds, and clubs opening and closing on the same
nights we've worked to provide a more comprehensive service.
The grant is less than it used to be, but we've been able to lever in new funds
at ward level, which more than offsets the reduction.
Groups will be working together more closely in providing activities for young
people ranging from providing a safe place to go after school or in the holidays
to expanding horizons with access to sports and cultural activities.
We're also providing a degree of stability with the funding committed for the
next two years and in principle for the third."
Local housing associations have been a key partner in the new approach,
particularly Liverpool Housing Trust (LHT), Plus Dane, South Liverpool Housing (SLH),
Riverside Housing and Cobalt. They have made generous donations to the pooled
budgets and are operating as the 'bankers' for the majority of the consortium.
The report will be considered by the Cabinet on Friday, 20 March 2015.
