Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of youth club closures on levels of anti-social behaviour and youth offending in England.

DCMS published research in 2024 that found decreased investment in youth provision correlates with rises in shoplifting, bike theft, and reoffending among young offenders aged 15-17.

This Government recognises the vital role youth services play in providing opportunities for young people to live safe and healthy lives. In December 2025, DCMS launched “Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy”. This ten year strategy will ensure every young person across the country has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them and a community they feel part of. It is funded by over £500 million from DCMS. We are currently designing how this funding will be spent, with input from a wide range of stakeholders, and are committed to working with areas of greatest need across England.

Local Authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of youth services in their area. We will explore reviewing this duty as part of a wider review of local statutory duties. Through our Local Youth Transformation programme we will continue to support local authorities to rebuild a high-quality offer for young people and transition back to local youth services leadership.