Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the recent report by London Youth entitled A space of our own: The role and value of youth organisations in strengthening communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that youth organisations are recognised as valuable parts of social infrastructure and are supported to strengthen communities.

Government recognises the value of spaces for young people; a place of trust and safety, that provides high quality information, advice and guidance alongside positive activities that can help young people to develop skills, improve wellbeing and participate in their communities.

Local authorities are primarily responsible for allocating public funding to youth services in their area. In addition, the Government is investing up to £40 million (in partnership with the Big Lottery Fund) in the Youth Investment Fund, which is supporting 90 youth organisations around the country to create and expand open access youth projects, and is expected to benefit up to 300,000 young people. This is part of a wider range of Government investment in services and opportunities for young people such as the #iwill fund and National Citizen Service.