DORSET County Council have announced that they proposed to close all 22 youth centres in our county. On top of the blows inflicted on young people by the Chancellor’s summer budget – which, as well as scrapping housing benefit for 18-21 year olds and grants for university students, excluded young people from the new ‘living wage’ – this was a new blow, from a Conservative council, to the young people of Dorset.

In a previous letter, I recognised that DCC needed to find extensive savings, due to decreased government funding. However, I would argue strongly that it is not in cutting much-used services to young people that the answer lies.

DCC have no doubt chosen this option because they are not statutorily obliged to provide youth services – but in my view this cut is a very short-sighted policy, which will in any case only save one five-hundredth of the county council’s annual budget.

Youth centres help give our youngsters a good start in life, as well as helping them to make friends, realise their potential, and get involved in a range of community- phased activities.

I would ask readers who are worried about the closure of all Dorset’s Youth Centres, to sign the online petition at change.org by December 16, which is the closing date of the DCC consultation on this issue.

We must not lose this vital resource.

HUGO MIEVILLE

North Dorset Liberal Democrats

Editor’s note: Dorset County Council says the centres would not be closed but would have their funding withdrawn. It hopes some centres would be run by local communities.