MORE young people will end up in crisis without funding to youth services, warns a Southampton-based charity.

Youth services in England have had local authority funding slashed by 73 per cent in less than a decade, according to the YMCA.

They have lost almost a billion pounds - £958.72 million - during this time, based on Department for Education figures on council spending.

No Limits located on Southampton High Street reports it has lost automatic statutory funding for its services.

The charity which supports children and young people under the age of 26 has warned that without funding, the long-term more young people end up in crisis.

No Limits says that fundraising has become much harder since the start of the pandemic and it has a significant deficit for the next financial year.

Deputy CEO, Jackie McCormack, said: “We would like to see a nationwide refocus on children and young people as a priority and a better understanding of their needs. There needs to be funding available for general youth work provision alongside targeted delivery, with longer-term investment to provide funding certainty. There needs to be a focus on transition from child to adult. Funders should be encouraged to fund work that is already working rather than looking for new projects.”

Spending by councils stood at £372.12 million over 2019-20, the YMCA has said – a 73 per cent fall in real term spending from 2010-11 and a drop of 6 per cent from the previous year.

According to Unison research, more than a 1,000 youth centres have closed since 2010-11 and YMCA said that more than 4,500 youth work jobs had been lost as of January 2020.

The YMCA is calling for significant Government reinvestment to change the future for “thousands of anxious, isolated and vulnerable young people”. It said youth services are at their “most critical point in history” – with the cuts coming amid increased demand and deteriorating mental health during the pandemic.