East Worthing and Shoreham Labour Party

New Tory, New Spin, Youth Wing clipped..

Cllr Arculus might think of adding ‘spinning’ to scuba diving and stained glass amongst her impressive list of hobbies and interests. On Monday August 11, at Quayside Youth Centre, with a neat flick of the hooves, she jumped clear over the pig’s ear that West Sussex County Council is making of the ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity of the South Coast Academies. 

She and her fellow councillors could not have been unaware of the Council’s responsibility for funding youth services. Surely, they would have made sure that it was properly covered in the Expression of Interest submission to the government. There again, perhaps not. WSCC seems to have been more eager to secure the fabulous treasure trove of Academy funding than it was to was to identify exactly what services are, and should continue to be, provided at Boundstone. Is it surprising that our government is trying to free schools from manipulated and mismanaged education budgets?

The Conservatives do have a problem with Academies. On the one hand, they’d like to claim them as really their own idea. On the other, they want to knock the government into the gutter. Well, in their ‘Looking Glass’ World, this one has it all. WSCC knows that they are responsible for funding youth services. But in their alternative reality, it’s stupid government planning and funding regulations preventing the Council from sorting out this unforeseen problem in the government’s own Academy program. Funny that. But hang on, isn’t it WSCC - or at least the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services - claiming ownership of this project? They act as though they’re the lead partner, though they contribute the least, (roll on the day when Woodard have the keys) , they co-designed the submission..

In last year’s ‘Expression of Interest’ submission, the first major hoop would-be Academy sponsors must jump through, there was this specific condition posed in reference to youth services: “Please provide brief details of a satisfactory plan for dealing with any co-locating primary school, Pupil Referral Unit, youth or community groups sharing the site, including who will bear associated capital and revenue costs”.

WSCC replied “The Sponsors wish to ensure that the Youth Service provision on site remains and that a Vocational Skills Centre (funded jointly by the Local Authority and the LSC) will be established as a central aspect of the new Academy site.  These matters and their resourcing will be explored during Feasibility.”

If Government has erred, it’s in ever taking that kind of aspirational flannel seriously. By May, the public had cottoned on and was voicing its concerns “Will equivalent provision be made to ensure continuity of the current activities housed within the Youth Wing?”

OK, enough said, we’re all agreed, it HAS to be sorted. And it won’t be sorted by trying to shift the responsibility elsewhere. This is a problem created by WSCC within WSCC. Just own up, and get some help.

Tim Loughton’s first wheeze is to have a man-to-man chat with the Minister, Ed Balls, a discrete word in Lord Adonis’s ear. Umm, not a runner, Tim. Government is responsible for the £20 million plus of public money for this project. It’s not a tap to turn on to wash down any mess the County makes. Neither is your second, the oddly creepy idea, sadly also current in government, of raiding unclaimed bank deposits to fund investment in children’s services.. Poppea, with the vigorous naivety of her 16 years, dared suggest it might be better to get out there raising funds rather than hanging around hoping for a better tomorrow. Suggestion flicked away by the worldy-wise MP. And for Cllr Arculus, like many who confuse swamping others with being right, the solution is to shout longer and louder. She even had the front to whinny out at Adur Youth Forum, our hosts and organisers, for daring to suggest they deserved to have been consulted on youth provision. Now here’s a thing!

Yes, we’re all agreed, the activities and functions of the Youth Wing should continue on the Boundstone site (just as required, and promised, in the Expression of Interest), that they should be integrated with, but independent of, the Academy.  So, here’s a few practical suggestions.

1. Decide what services may properly be shared with the Academy
2. Decide what services should remain independent of the Academy
3. Establish with the Academy what space can be allocated for 2.
4. Establish a realistic capital cost for providing adequate facilities for 3.
5. Ask the ‘young’ people to help. You’ll be surprised

Costimates flying around vary by £400,000 so it’s obvious that none of the above has been started yet.. Quelle merde!