£30m pledged for youth club in each London borough

At least one late-night youth club will be funded in every London borough, the mayor of London has pledged.

Sir Sadiq Khan said £30m of the £50m allocated in this year's budget for supporting young people would be used to fund a "Youth Lates" programme in the capital's 32 boroughs.

The mayor said the late-night youth clubs would offer activities, mental health support, mentorship and food and hoped they could be launched this year.

The Greens welcomed the plan and the Conservatives and Reform criticised it. The Lib Dems said it was a "welcome first step".

Sir Sadiq said: "We saw the unacceptable scenes in Clapham on two nights last week where groups of young people thought it was acceptable to break the law and spread fear in the community.

"Tougher police enforcement is one part of the solution. We also need to use all the resources at our disposal to ensure that no young Londoner is left behind."

Between 2010 and 2024, 81 youth centres closed as part of cuts to youth services in the capital, the mayor said.

Sir Sadiq said the youth clubs would give young people "somewhere safe to go, opportunities to help them fulfil their potential, and give them the support of teams of trusted adults".

Caroline Russell, leader of the City Hall Greens group, welcomed the investment, adding: "[I] hope the mayor's teams will listen to and work with young people to create the spaces and services they need and want."

A London Lib Dem spokesperson said the programme was a "welcome first step" but "less than £1m per youth centre isn't enough".

They said a "huge chunk" of the funds should be given to local councils to manage.

Leader of the Conservatives on the London Assembly, Susan Hall, criticised the decision and said the money would have been better spent on police officers to "keep Londoners safe", and said youth clubs did "not tackle criminality".

A Reform UK London spokesman said: "Londoners are right to be deeply sceptical that these measures will make any meaningful difference."

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