Council bosses have been accused of prioritising potholes over children amid fears about a youth club’s future.
Cash-strapped Kent County Council (KCC) announced £1 million of funding cuts for youth services at the end of last year as it attempts to balance its books.
The newly-elected mayor of Hythe, Cllr Penny Graham (Green), slammed the move at a recent town council meeting.
The cuts have left the town’s youth centre with a £96,000 shortfall in its finances, putting the venue – which supports 800 youngsters – at risk of closure.
Cllr Graham said: “Hythe Town Council is dismayed and appalled at KCC's short-sighted decision to axe this crucial facility.
“We know that extra funding can be secured to repair potholes, and we believe that our young people should be given at least the same priority as the holes in the roads.
“Despite the challenges that our young people face these days, nevertheless, with the right support, they can fly!
“Our aim is not simply to have the club survive; our vision is for it to grow and thrive.”
At the same meeting, Cllr Graham announced a motion to petition KCC to restore support for young people.
It comes as a a multimillion-pound pothole blitz was announced in April, with more than £50 million being promised to fix issues on Kent's roads.
But the cuts for youth centres mean the Hythe venue, in Cinque Ports Avenue, will lose out on £96,000 in funding.
And while bosses behind the much-loved venue say they have enough cash to keep it open until March next year, its future after that is unknown.
In addition, KCC has also pulled its support for running the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) scheme in schools across the county.
It is currently the registered Licensed Organisation in Kent and offers the scheme to many schools and voluntary and community organisations. But from the autumn, schools or clubs will have to apply for their own licence.
Peter Heckel, CEO of Salus group, which runs Hythe Youth Centre, is currently in talks to continue delivering DofE at the at-risk centre, which had 58 young people participate last year.
He said: “I am determined that Salus will deliver some form of DofE for young people because I think it's a valuable resource, and I want to look at ways we can continue to deliver those opportunities.
“Much of our work involves hotspots for troubled young people, and we set up youth clubs to divert them away from criminal activity. Getting them involved with youth clubs and DofE was far more sensible.”
Despite the cuts to funding, Mr Heckel told KentOnline that the outlook for the future of the Hythe Youth Centre is positive.
He said: “The town council is really supportive, and I think the chances of maintaining the youth club in Hythe are massively improved because of their work.
“There was a point before they got involved where I really thought that we might have to shut, but at the moment, it’s looking fairly positive.
“Hopefully, by working in partnership with the council, we’ll be able to maintain a thriving centre.”
The town's new mayor also selected the Hythe Youth Centre as the charity to fundraise for over the coming year.
A spokesperson for Kent County Council said: “It’s been well documented that due to the increasing need for council services and lack of funding from central government, KCC is facing significant financial challenges and must save £84.5m this year to balance the budget. This has meant making some very difficult proposals and decisions.
“KCC initially looked at achieving savings through council efficiencies and streamlining, however these were not enough and so has looked at how it finances and provides services to ensure it can continue to meet its statutory responsibilities to residents in the future.
“The overall savings made by not renewing the discretionary youth contracts is £913,000.
“We know residents of all ages value these services, but we must adapt to the hard financial realities. In the face of these challenges, moving to Family Hubs will help us to better target services to young people where they are needed most – through a mix of on-site, online and community settings.
“Together with our partners, we’re working to ensure this transition is as smooth as possible. We’re also offering support to all affected youth groups and will continue to work with any community groups able to provide services to Kent’s young people.”
