Oxfordshire Lib Dems protecting vulnerable children and young people (Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats)

Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats <info@wantagelibdems.org.uk>

Oxfordshire Lib Dems protecting vulnerable children and young people

February 13, 2009 5:30 PM
Originally published by Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats

Children. Liberal Democrats on Oxfordshire County Council proposed rejection of cuts in local services to vulnerable children, during the budget debate in council on Tuesday. With the tragic case of Baby P in mind, the Lib Dems refused to accept the Conservative proposal to cut funds to Early Years support for children at risk.

Said Lib Dem group spokesperson Cllr Jean Fooks: "Social workers are overloaded with bureaucracy. This is made worse by the new government-imposed data system, so we proposed additional administrative support to improve this. We also proposed a grant to Home Start, which has been nationally recognized as providing invaluable support to families, using trained volunteers to help with basic things like shopping, budgeting and coping with a new baby, which can be overwhelming for some new parents."

Oxfordshire's Youth service is very poorly funded compared with similar authorities. Liberal Democrats have consistently called for more funding for youth workers. Outreach work is recognised as the best way to help many disaffected and disadvantaged young people who need support to achieve self-confidence and develop social skills as well as gain qualifications leading to employment. The Conservatives' original budget proposed to discontinue projects which help young people at risk of offending to gain qualifications and self-esteem, as well as a project aimed at reducing road accidents among young drivers.

Youth Centres are in need of renovation or just basic provision where none exists; the Lib Dems proposed capital funds should be shared more equally across the county, in particular putting money aside for a new centre for Grove and Wantage.

Cllr Fooks said: "While we recognize that the county's finances are under great pressure, we believe that supporting vulnerable children and young people must take precedence over yet more officers in the corporate core, such as a new Head of Marketing at a salary of up to £85,000 pa. Our budget sets a much better balance between conflicting demands than the Conservatives."

Cllr. David Turner added: "We have also put more money into our budget for apprenticeships, realising the importance of young people developing skills so that they are ready for the workplace, especially in these difficult times."

The Liberal Democrat amendments were voted out by the majority Conservative Group on Oxfordshire county council.