Community Buildings Advice
Much of the thrust of the Government’s youth and community strategy (Aiming High: Youth Matters) is towards encouraging local authorities to hand over community assets like youth centres to local organisations.
In particular this was the conclusion of the Quirk Report on “Making Assets Work”.
Surrey CC has recently transferred two youth centres in Banstead and Bookham into the voluntary sector . The County Council’s Youth Development Service is currently developing its property strategy, and it makes sense if this is done in conjunction with the property assets held by the VCFS in Surrey. The County Council’s youth centre building strategy is due for publication in the near future.
It should be kept in mind that organisations like St John Ambulance, which has 25 buildings in Surrey and the churches, do have many buildings in Surrey that could, by arrangement, be used by others for youth activities (see Member entry, and the Resources Directory). A contact for St John Ambulance is: stuart.green@surrey.sja.org.uk
MYplace
In May 2008 the Government (DCSF) announced significant funding for "world class" youth centres, called MYplace, with fast track bids due in by June, and standard bids due for submission by September 2008. The funding lasts until 2010-11 and is managed on behalf of the DCSF by the Big Lottery. Some £25 mill was to be allocated in the South – East.
Two multi – agency meetings took place in Surrey to see if a strategic approach could be developed to bidding, but meanwhile bids proceeded anyway. The outcome of fast track bids was announced in December 2008. No Surrey bid was successful.
Further funding rounds will occur, especially to make use of the Unclaimed assets Fund, but a Surrey MYplace strategy may now await the outcome of the Council’s review of its own youth centre assets.
Myplace round 2
The next round of funding from MyPlace to provide world class places for young people to go is now open for applications until the end of June 2009 from the one third most deprived communities in England. In the South East the list of local area districts eligible for myplace round 2 are Brighton & Hove, Havant (Hants), Portsmouth, Southampton, Swale (Kent), Thanet (Kent). For more information see: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.
