Youth workers told of job cuts in Birmingham want answers from scrutiny meeting with protests expected
Birmingham youth workers facing job cuts seek clarity from Sue Harrison at a council scrutiny meeting, with protests anticipated outside.
Sue Harrison, strategic director for children and families, will appear before the Education, Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Birmingham Council House at 11am. (October 11)
The meeting comes a week after Miss Harrison sanctioned the evisceration of the Birmingham Youth Service by putting centres up for sale and leaving just 23 youth workers to cover Europe's Youngest City amid a teenage stabbing epidemic.
Feelings are running high among soon-to-be-sacked youth workers, teenagers and supporters of the service and there have been appeals for protests outside the council.
A spokesman for the Save Birmingham Youth Service campaign told BirminghamWorld: "We are hoping one of the committee members will ask the question we all want to hear: 'Where is the impact assessment of these changes on young people? The details in the plan are not a true reflection of cutting 37 youth workers will have.
"We want Sue Harrison's answer on public record so when the young people of this city, and their families, are living with the devastating consequences of these cuts, we will know whether this council knew what the impact would be and ignored it, or just did not understand how vulnerable they are making young people who need safe spaces."
The spokesman added: "After BirminghamWorld revealed the council spent £160,000 of taxpayers’ money on consultants to redesign the services hopefully the councillors will demand to see Newton Europe's report.
"A lot of people facing redundancy are asking the same question, wouldn't the £160,000 given to Newton Europe have been better spent on the salaries of five or six full time youth workers for a year?” Read more here: Anger as devastated youth workers told of major job cuts by Birmingham City Council with centres to be sold
The scrutiny committee is made up of eight councillors, five of which are from council controlling Labour.
The committee chair is Moseley Labour Councillor Kerry Jenkins who has told youth workers she 'is on their side' and repeatedly stressed how vital their work with children is to the future of the city.