:00:47. > :00:51.Here. The north's youngsters hit by the cuts. This youth club in
:00:51. > :00:54.Middlesbrough is facing closure. Can the Government's new citizen
:00:54. > :00:57.service fill the gap? And Catholic schools in the North
:00:57. > :01:07.East become the latest to opt out of council control to become
:01:07. > :01:07.
:01:07. > :30:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1789 seconds
:30:57. > :30:59.academies. Those stories in half an Youth organisations and trade
:30:59. > :31:02.unions will lobby Parliament about the problem on Tuesday. Our
:31:02. > :31:06.reporter Luke Walton has been to one youth club in Middlesbrough
:31:06. > :31:11.that's about to fall victim to the cuts.
:31:11. > :31:15.North Ormesby youth club, lots of young people, lots of activity, but
:31:15. > :31:21.because of council cuts, this centre and others like it face the
:31:21. > :31:27.possibility of closure. They won't go without a fight. They have
:31:27. > :31:33.dances. We have football. We have boxing. My grandchildren used to
:31:33. > :31:43.come here. Now they are grown-up and married and their children are
:31:43. > :31:43.
:31:43. > :31:49.coming. Please do not close it down. That sense of out rage is shared by
:31:49. > :31:57.the club's users. We come here every day, without it, what else
:31:57. > :32:02.would we do? Instead of sitting at home and doing nothing, it is a
:32:03. > :32:07.place to come and join in. It is really important. If it closes down,
:32:07. > :32:11.we will be out on the street causing trouble. Middlesbrough
:32:11. > :32:16.council says the only reason that they might have to close the centre
:32:16. > :32:22.is because of government funding cuts. This town has to fill a big
:32:22. > :32:32.hole in next year's budget. But our young people taking more than their
:32:32. > :32:34.
:32:34. > :32:44.fair share of the pain? New research from the Unite Union
:32:44. > :33:08.
:33:08. > :33:11.compared spending last year and But are there other ways of
:33:11. > :33:16.crafting a better future for our children without relying on public
:33:16. > :33:22.money? This youth club relies mostly on charitable and private
:33:22. > :33:28.donations. Could it be a model for others? Everyone has come forward,
:33:28. > :33:35.they have donated what they can. Money or even that trips out and
:33:35. > :33:40.things like that. If that we can do it, I cannot see why other youth
:33:40. > :33:43.clubs don't go down the same path as we have done. The government
:33:43. > :33:53.also wants youth activities to be funded and delivered in different
:33:53. > :33:57.
:33:57. > :34:03.ways. This is one of its big ideas, and national -- this matter -- the
:34:03. > :34:11.national citizen service for 16- year-olds. It has built my
:34:11. > :34:18.confidence up. You go to meet people and the public. But critics
:34:18. > :34:23.say this means there is less cash for traditional youth work. Money
:34:23. > :34:33.that is going to this will be diverted away from projects that
:34:33. > :34:37.
:34:37. > :34:45.are working well. The citizen service was a good value for money.
:34:45. > :34:50.But I think it should not be the only provision for young people.
:34:50. > :34:54.North Ormesby, a campaign to save the youth club is under way.
:34:54. > :34:59.Spending cuts may affect all age groups, but young people still feel
:34:59. > :35:02.they are being unfairly targeted. Well, let's talk about all that now
:35:02. > :35:05.to two Teesside MPs. Ian Swales is the Liberal Democrat MP for Redcar
:35:05. > :35:14.and in our Middlesbrough studio is Alex Cunningham, the Labour MP for
:35:14. > :35:20.Stockton North. Ian Swales, this is short-sighted.
:35:20. > :35:25.You might say that from the start, but another youth club is making
:35:25. > :35:30.his own future. I see lots of organisations dealing with young
:35:30. > :35:35.people who are nothing to do with the council, charities, Scouts,
:35:35. > :35:40.Guides, sports clubs. There is plenty of choice for young people
:35:40. > :35:50.which does not depend on council services. Is that the solution for
:35:50. > :35:50.
:35:50. > :35:54.everybody? There does not always seem to be people replacing the
:35:55. > :35:58.services. Middlesbrough spend a lot more on young people than other
:35:58. > :36:05.councils and you have got to ask whether that is the right thing.
:36:05. > :36:10.There are other options. Quite a lot of Teesside companies are now
:36:10. > :36:18.helping. For those organisations who adopt a positive and optimistic
:36:19. > :36:25.outlook, then they can carve a new future. Year constituency has a
:36:25. > :36:35.youth club funded by the Lottery, is that the future? The state has a
:36:35. > :36:40.responsibility to look after their young people. We have 12 youth
:36:40. > :36:44.centres, and many of them are closing down. This is just the
:36:44. > :36:47.start of the cuts. Young people should not have to bear the brunt
:36:47. > :36:53.of these cuts. The educational maintenance allowance and things
:36:54. > :37:01.like that. Young people will become disconnected with society. But
:37:01. > :37:11.Robert has a responsibility to deliver for dumb people. -- but
:37:11. > :37:15.Government has a responsibility to deliver for young people. You have
:37:16. > :37:21.to deliver hard cash to make things happen. It is no good saying that
:37:21. > :37:31.charities will get out the money, some people are able to do that,
:37:31. > :37:32.
:37:32. > :37:42.but if you think of the abide of cuts that taking place, they cannot
:37:42. > :37:48.
:37:48. > :37:52.fill the gab. -- the amount of cuts. One positive things is to have
:37:52. > :38:00.services and run by young people. If the money is not there, how can
:38:00. > :38:04.they take part in services? mentioned the lottery. Some of the
:38:04. > :38:10.best services in the area are funded by the Lottery. Councils are
:38:10. > :38:15.making choices and it is up to them to decide how much to spend on
:38:15. > :38:19.young people. You could do something about this. Instead of
:38:19. > :38:28.spending money on the National Citizens' Service, it could have
:38:28. > :38:32.gone to the council. That could probably have reached more people.
:38:32. > :38:40.I don't row about the relative amounts of money, but nobody is
:38:40. > :38:50.ring fencing money for councils. That is a nonsense. Local
:38:50. > :38:54.authorities across the north are facing cuts of 20 or 25%. It is a
:38:54. > :38:58.case of deciding how to manage that. One of the things that I feel is
:38:58. > :39:04.that councils have to look at what the real outcomes are for youth
:39:04. > :39:09.services. Some of her youth service people never meet young people,
:39:09. > :39:13.there is so much bureaucracy to deal with. I want to see all the
:39:13. > :39:19.money on the front line dealing with the young people. That is a
:39:19. > :39:28.good point. The national citizen service could provide a life-
:39:28. > :39:34.changing help to young people. the Stockton Borough, we have run
:39:34. > :39:39.cafes, games and lots of activities to do with lifestyle choices. It is
:39:39. > :39:48.not just as simple as you are saying. I cannot believe that six
:39:48. > :39:56.weeks on a course will prepare somebody for their long-term future.
:39:56. > :40:03.Is it a -- is there a problem with perception of what the Government
:40:03. > :40:11.is trying to do here? We have got a massive economic problem in this
:40:11. > :40:15.country. Young people do not pay the price any more than others.
:40:15. > :40:18.Unfortunately, there are changes having to be made in so many parts
:40:18. > :40:26.of our public service provision because we cannot keep on spending
:40:26. > :40:30.money that we have not got. At the moment, �1 in every four is being
:40:30. > :40:39.borrowed of the cannot go on like that. We have to look a different
:40:39. > :40:42.ways of doing this? It is true that we cannot keep spending money.
:40:42. > :40:51.Labour's plan would of got rid of the deficit over a longer period of
:40:51. > :40:59.time. Services for them people would have been protected. -- for
:40:59. > :41:06.young people. That does mean so that the next generation would
:41:06. > :41:11.upper inherited more debt. That is not the case. Eight years as
:41:11. > :41:18.opposed to four years, we would not have had the situation we have now
:41:18. > :41:21.with the economy is in the doldrums. What is a future for young people?
:41:21. > :41:23.Now, six Roman Catholic schools across the North East are the
:41:23. > :41:26.latest to opt out of local education authority control and
:41:26. > :41:29.become academies. Many more expected to follow over the next
:41:29. > :41:31.few months. But with a growing number of schools now running their
:41:31. > :41:38.own affairs, can councils continue to provide effective services to
:41:38. > :41:41.the rest? Sophie McDonnell reports from Bishop Auckland.
:41:41. > :41:47.Children at St John's Catholic School in in Bishop Auckland. In a
:41:47. > :41:54.few weeks, this council one school, along with five others, will become
:41:54. > :42:02.an Academy. We made that decision because we have control of their
:42:02. > :42:08.curriculum which is important to us. We also get flexibility over
:42:08. > :42:15.financial resources. Pay and conditions will remain the same,
:42:15. > :42:19.that is guaranteed. These students might not realise just how
:42:19. > :42:29.significant this change will be. There are only 38 academies across
:42:29. > :42:32.
:42:32. > :42:40.the North East, but can that figure rise? What the Catholic school will
:42:40. > :42:44.do a big -- what the Catholic schools will do it will make a big
:42:44. > :42:48.difference. Academies it set their own curriculum and budget and that
:42:48. > :42:53.is a problem for some councils left to run fewer schools with less
:42:53. > :42:57.money. By working in partnership with the local authority, schools
:42:57. > :43:02.have been able to work to provide new buildings. It will be difficult
:43:02. > :43:06.for schools to do that kind of project by themselves in the future.
:43:06. > :43:13.If it does become academies and take their services away from the
:43:13. > :43:18.local authority, we will be looking at job losses, particularly in
:43:18. > :43:25.People who support children with special educational needs or who
:43:25. > :43:29.work in welfare. These schools are likely to be the first of many.
:43:29. > :43:33.Dozens of schools are watching to see what happens and could follow
:43:33. > :43:43.suit if it is right for them. sure these conversations are going
:43:43. > :43:45.
:43:45. > :43:51.on at different levels and with different police of intensity. We
:43:51. > :43:59.would expect all schools to be talking about it. We would be
:43:59. > :44:04.expecting governing to discussing - - we would be expecting governing
:44:04. > :44:10.bodies to be discussing it. rate of conversion is speeding up
:44:10. > :44:14.and that has got the unions are worried. It is disappointing we're
:44:14. > :44:20.schools, which are the heart of the local community, seem to think it
:44:20. > :44:29.is right to take themselves out of the local community. I believe that
:44:29. > :44:33.there are schools watching who feel they cannot stand back and allow
:44:33. > :44:38.them to take on academy status and will form a view that they are
:44:38. > :44:44.being left behind. So goal is likely to become an Academy in the
:44:44. > :44:51.next half-term, but how many will follow? -- St John's Catholic
:44:51. > :44:58.School is likely to become an Academy. Are you delighted to see
:44:58. > :45:06.them stay in council control? Stockton, we have a fantastic
:45:06. > :45:09.family of schools. We do have an Academy as well. But we must
:45:09. > :45:14.remember that the Labour Government started setting up academies in
:45:14. > :45:20.areas where there was needed to drive up standards. Now it is a
:45:20. > :45:30.free for all. It is not supposed to be about who is sitting round the
:45:30. > :45:31.
:45:31. > :45:37.Government table. A free for all? That is a bit rich. If academies
:45:37. > :45:44.are a good idea, they are a good idea for all. But at the moment, it
:45:44. > :45:49.is dividing communities. If they are such a good idea, why should
:45:49. > :45:58.not every school become an Academy? The many schools are already
:45:58. > :46:06.foundation schools. They are independent of local council
:46:06. > :46:09.control. They decide how to spend money from the local council. It is
:46:09. > :46:18.not council verses Academy. There has already been fragmentation of
:46:18. > :46:22.the process. You can see why it schools are becoming academies.
:46:22. > :46:29.I can understand it. I have no doubt that other schools will
:46:29. > :46:33.follow. The important thing is that schools continue to work as a
:46:33. > :46:41.family in a geographical area. That is the most important thing,
:46:42. > :46:51.children. But it is also about buildings. Resources are being
:46:52. > :46:53.
:46:54. > :46:57.moved from the north of England to the south of England. One school in
:46:57. > :47:04.the red car area is desperate to have a rebuild and it has been
:47:04. > :47:09.moved... Where is the evidence for that? The number of free schools
:47:09. > :47:17.opening in the south of England are vastly greater in the north.
:47:17. > :47:21.that is up to schools in the north to do something about it? People in
:47:21. > :47:25.the north seem to be largely content with what they already have
:47:25. > :47:30.and we have some very high- performing schools in the region.
:47:30. > :47:37.We just have to look at ways in which we can drive up standards for
:47:37. > :47:41.everyone. Is the danger that schools in the north will miss out?
:47:41. > :47:45.People have freedom now and one of the things that I was seeing on
:47:45. > :47:49.there this morning to a head master is that they have to look at the
:47:49. > :47:57.services they get from the Council I decide what is good value or not.
:47:57. > :48:01.This is one of the real issues. They affect on councils. They will
:48:01. > :48:04.have to justify the services they provide because there will be more
:48:04. > :48:10.of and there goes the issue with schools. I think that is where
:48:10. > :48:15.quite a lot of the pressure is coming from. But services will
:48:15. > :48:20.disappear. Some schools will buy one services, some schools will buy
:48:20. > :48:24.another and they will fragment. They will then have to go to the
:48:24. > :48:28.open market to buy services and that will cost a lot more. Schools
:48:28. > :48:35.and we'll work together. The secondary schools in my area
:48:35. > :48:38.already work together. They are joined together under a trust. They
:48:38. > :48:41.recognise that working together is sensible and I think that most
:48:41. > :48:46.schools are well. The primary schools are that I was visiting
:48:46. > :48:52.this morning work in a team of about eight schools. People adopt
:48:52. > :48:56.at the right approach for their area. I don't understand what
:48:56. > :49:02.Labour's different approach is to this. You were in favour of
:49:02. > :49:06.academies when you were in government. What is the policy?
:49:06. > :49:12.believe in schools or academies or what ever you want to call them
:49:12. > :49:18.that the drive up standards. What I am bothered about is what they are
:49:18. > :49:28.delivering. I am not convinced about we will see great strides and
:49:28. > :49:32.you changes. It is about the quality of teaching. Yes, you get
:49:32. > :49:42.good schools and bad schools all over the country. Driving up
:49:42. > :49:46.standards is extremely important. I think the way that schools are
:49:46. > :49:53.governed and inspected will not change that much. We have to keep a
:49:54. > :49:59.sensible curriculum. We have to ensure that academies and three
:49:59. > :50:04.schools are do not depart to farm from the curriculum.
:50:04. > :50:07.And finally, a bit of a first for the programme this, some baby news.
:50:07. > :50:11.Houghton and Sunderland South MP Bridget Phillipson has given birth
:50:11. > :50:15.to a baby girl. She revealed the news on Twitter this week.
:50:15. > :50:18.Congratulations to her from all of us here on the show. And on that
:50:18. > :50:21.happy note, that's about it from us. From tomorrow on BBC local radio
:50:21. > :50:24.and Look North, we'll be looking at the Government's changes to the
:50:24. > :50:27.benefits system and what it means for people in Cumbria and the North
:50:27. > :50:30.East. In the meantime, you can seek me out on Twitter. Look for