Young people in Croydon say they feel “betrayed” by the council’s decision to cut youth engagement services which they say help the borough’s most vulnerable.
Local politicians have also criticised the lack of clarity over how these “vital” services will be replaced.
Croydon’s Youth Engagement Team (YET), which supports initiatives from youth employability to female safety, has long acted as a bridge between the council, voluntary groups and young people.
However, a report released on June 2 by Mayor Jason Perry confirmed the team’s closure. Its 18 services will now be delivered by the voluntary, community and faith sectors instead.
The change has sparked concern among young people and councillors, who say it risks undermining the trust and consistency built by YET’s dedicated staff.
Gabriella Brown, Chair of Croydon’s Youth Assembly (CYA), a group funded and supported by YET, called the move a “betrayal” of the young people who depend on such services to develop socially and professionally.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), she said: “We at the CYA feel very betrayed. We have made it clear from the outset that keeping the YET is by far the best way to protect and enhance the lives of young people in Croydon.”
Gabriella, currently preparing for her GCSEs, added that although the council has promised the Youth Assembly will continue, there has been no communication on how this will happen. Her concerns reflect a broader sentiment that youth voices are being sidelined.
The council held its consultation from December 5, 2024, to April 25, 2025, engaging with young people, parents, staff, and partners. However, many criticised the process for what they felt was a lack of transparency, with Croydon East MP Natasha Irons accusing the council of taking a “backdoor approach”.
Earlier this year, the LDRS reported that people in New Addington felt inadequately consulted about the closure of their local youth hub. “They didn’t ask things in a way that gave [my son] the opportunity to express what he really felt,” one parent said at the time.
Irons has been a prominent critic of the cuts. In January, she launched a campaign to preserve YET services in high-need areas, push for a full public consultation, and ensure scrutiny by elected councillors.
She later said none of those demands had been met to her satisfaction. In Parliament last month, she warned: “Young people deserve investment, consistency and the opportunity to shape the services designed for them.”
Responding to the recent announcement, she said: “The council are asking us to trust in the future model, but we still aren’t clear on what that model will look like.”
YET has been praised for building strong relationships with young people and for understanding local needs. Many fear that replacing trained staff with a rotating group of volunteers will lead to inconsistency and put vulnerable youths at risk.
The council has defended its decision, arguing the services were underused, citing a year in which only 75 young people accessed them. It says the voluntary and faith sectors, working alongside the council, can deliver more effective early help and community safety programmes.
Croydon’s Labour opposition, however, argues the move is a thinly veiled budget cut, similar to reductions in library services.
Irons said: “Closing the Youth Engagement Team is not just a budget cut; it’s a betrayal of Croydon’s young people. This team has been a lifeline, building trust, understanding local challenges and providing consistent support that many young people have come to rely on.
“Replacing it with a patchwork of commissioned and volunteer-led services risks leaving young people without the consistent support they need.”
Waddon Councillor Rowenna Davis, Labour’s mayoral candidate, echoed the concern: “Families have told us how much they treasure and value their youth workers, and the Mayor has cut them anyway.”
She also warned that new providers won’t easily rebuild trusted relationships with their service users.
Meanwhile, Councillor Amy Foster raised concerns about transparency, particularly over how government funding for new Family Hubs will be spent. “Once again, Croydon’s young people pay the price for Tory neglect,” she said.
The council has announced plans to open a Family Hub for older children this summer at the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Centre in South Norwood. It says this is part of an effort to expand accessible services for families, with a stronger focus on older children and young adults.
A council spokesperson told the LDRS: “It is our priority to keep our young people safe and well and to make sure that those who need it most have access to help and support.”
A full report on the Family Hub expansion is expected to go before Cabinet on June 25, 2025.
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