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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure that local authorities are carrying out their statutory duty to deliver youth services.

Local authorities hold the statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people. Local Authorities fund youth services from their Local Government Settlement in line with local need, and this was increased to more than £69 billion in 2025/26 - a 6.8% increase in cash terms compared to 2024/25.

Although there is no legal requirement for local authorities to publish their plans, the guidance encourages local authorities to publish their assessment of local needs for youth services as well as the rationale for their actions and decisions. We will be launching the Local Youth Transformation pilot this year, which will support local authorities to build back capability to improve local youth offers.