The Green Party has slammed the government over cuts to youth services as a report by Unison found that 600 youth centres have closed since 2010 and 140,000 places for young people have been lost.
Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett said:
“These findings lay bare the very real damage austerity has done to our communities.
“As a society, we should be prioritising giving young people the best possible start in life. But our government has shown it is willing to slash vital youth services for the sake of short-term cash savings - which is both reckless and short-sighted.
“Instead we should be investing in young people’s futures: ensuring youth services are fully funded, creating a free and world-class further and higher education system, and creating skilled jobs which pay enough to live on.”
In the 2015 General Election campaign, the Greens pledged to create 2,000 new Young People's Centres and invest an extra £1.1 billion in youth services.