Job cuts hit support staff for Bristol teenagers
A SERVICE that helps teenagers find jobs and college courses is being cut back – with 55 staff set to lose their jobs.
Learning Partnership West needs to make cuts totalling £2.3 million in the current financial year after its funding was slashed by the coalition Government.
LPW runs a number of schemes but it is the Connexions youth service that will be affected.
Connexions is an advice service for young people aged 13 to 19, offering support in a range of areas but specialising in education, training and employment.
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It currently has five offices in the Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and B&NES local authority areas but some of these may close as a result of the cuts.
The 55 job losses are nearly a third of the 180 people employed by Connexions West, and they are expected to include some frontline staff.
Operating hours may also have to be cut back and the service may have to reduce the amount of face-to-face advice it gives young people.
The head office is in Colston Avenue, Bristol, with the four other branches in: Gloucester Road North, Filton; High Street, Kingswood; Boulevard, Weston-super-Mare; and Bath Road, Peasedown St John.
Connexions is funded by the four local authorities, but the Government has reduced the area-based grant that funds the service as part of the £6 billion of spending cuts aimed at starting to tackle the nation's budget deficit.
In 2009/10 Bristol City Council spent £3.48m on Connexions but in the current financial year that has been cut back to £2.74m.
South Gloucestershire spent £1.98m last year and £1.92m in 2010/11 but has proposed to cut a further £238,000 this year.
Bath and North East Somerset spent £1.37m last year and plans to spend £1.26m this year but plans to reduce the grant to £884,000 in 2011/12.
North Somerset Council did not have figures for the amount it invests but a spokesman said it would be reduced by £200,000 this year.
Connexions started in 2001 and is contacted by around 70,000 young people a year.
The cuts are subject to consultation and redundancies are expected to be confirmed in September.
LPW's chief executive Keith Harrison said: "The cuts will be across the board. We have tried to protect delivery but with these numbers it is inevitable some frontline staff will be affected."
Comments
by Rob Challis, Bristol
Monday, July 19 2010, 9:50AM
“An expanding underclass doesn't help any of us.”
by Jamie E, Stokes Croft
Monday, July 19 2010, 9:00AM
“Spot on, Jo.
It's an easy system to defraud, but I've good friends that've pointed their children towards Connexions and received good service in return.”
by Jo Walsh, longwell green
Sunday, July 18 2010, 8:32PM
“There are many agencies taking money for at best, useless advice and at worst, bogus "training" that could have funding cut off but LPW is certainly not one of them.
This is criminal and a far bigger price will be paid with the repercussions.”
by Jamie E, Stokes Croft
Sunday, July 18 2010, 8:58AM
“Linda,
You've got it all backwards. Tory ideology isn't about tax breaks for the richest, it's about tax breaks for everyone. (eventually. Hopefully)
How can keeping a bigger proportion of what you've earned be called stealing? Do people still think that the friuts of a persons labour belong to the Lord of the Manor, or in this case the Government?
This is a valuable service but while youngsters only get to see 20p in the pound over what they'd make from sitting on their backsides, there's no point in trying to get anyone on the ladder of employment. Nobody will work five days doing minimum wage work to only get one days pay.
Drop tax to a nominal amount for teens to make working pay for itself. We'll foster a strong work ethic in our youngsters that'll pay us all back tenfold in years to come.
My sympathy to the Connexions staff.”
by Linda, Bristol
Saturday, July 17 2010, 7:04PM
“Thanks to all those ConDem voters - this is just the start! Why do these people want to ruin lives and make everyone miserable? It's not about the last government - do they think we're all stupid? This is right-wing ideology - there's not enough money to support them and their mate's lifestyles so we have to pay for it by taking the big hit. It's despicable!”
by Liz, Bristol
Saturday, July 17 2010, 12:49PM
“This is quite serious, Connexions is what used to be called The Careers Service. Practically all young people really do need their help and advice, especially at the moment, with jobs in short supply. Like all organisations, they probably can save quite a lot of money if they sharpen up their procedures a bit, but they really do need offices in places accessible to young people.”