Funding for dozens of youth clubs could be scrapped by Gwynedd Council as part of plans to save hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The local authority is recommending that money for 42 youth clubs across the county is no longer provided, with a “county wide club” that delivers activities for youngsters within schools and communities serving in its place.

The council believe the plans would make savings of £270,000 annually.

A council report said: “The Youth Service in its current form cannot be an option for the future.

“This review, and the engagement work with stakeholders to identify ways of responding to the challenges above has been done within this financial context.”

The local authority came up with four options for the future of the service within the financial boundaries, and recommended an option which sees the loss of funding for the youth clubs.

Independent councillor Beth Lawton, who is chairman of the education and economy scrutiny committee, said the proposals were still in their infancy.

She said: “It is a long way off yet and the idea will go through scrutiny.

“But things have to change. There isn’t enough money and it all boils down to us not getting enough money from Westminster.

“We have to provide a service somehow but it is getting to that stage where things are going to hit that wall where only statory services can be provided.”

Other options being considered include keeping some youth clubs open within the county.

The service currently provides 42 youth clubs that are open between one and five nights per week for 30 weeks during the school term, with 10 clubs receiving an additional seven weeks during the summer term.

The clubs are held by 142 youth workers.

A Gwynedd Council spokesperson said: “In order to develop the best possible service with the limited available funding, over the past two years, we have held several engagement events with young people and undertaken a county-wide consultation to establish young people’s priorities which received almost 800 responses.

"The feedback received has then been used as the basis for developing various options for the future.

“The suggested way forward will offer young people in Gwynedd the opportunity to take part in a programme of activities and projects that will be held in schools and various community facilities across the county throughout the year after school and on weekends.

“The programme of activities and projects, and their location, would change on a regular basis so that young people in every part of Gwynedd have the opportunity to benefit from the support and activities on-offer.

“In addition to these activities, unlike the current provision, the new model would ensure that young people can access a Youth Worker through their secondary school, in the community, for help and support as and when needed, and provide a far more consistent level of service for the county’s young people.

"The suggested way forward also includes a support programme for older young people to overcome personal barriers that hold them back from entering work, training or further education.”

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