By Joe Langabeer, Hastings and Rye Labour member
The Children’s Commissioner for England, Rachel De Souza, noted in a recent report, that that those young people who participated in far-right riots across England last August were not necessarily “ideologically motivated”. Instead, she suggested, their involvement was driven by a “hatred of the police” and the “thrill” of engaging in social disorder. The comments are themselves a crushing indictment of a society that is failing to provide an attractive and secure future for young people.
The report interviewed fourteen young people who had been involved and charged in connection with the unrest. Their ages were not revealed due to anonymity, making it unclear how young they were, but we could reasonably assume they were 16 years-old or younger. De Souza’s findings suggest that while these young people, legally ‘children’, were not necessarily motivated by politics, their participation highlighted a failure to provide adequate services for young people – leaving them isolated and disconnected from their communities and this lack of support may have contributed to their involvement.
According to the report, many of these young people joined the riots because they thought it “looked fun” and disliked police authority. Unlike their older counterparts, who were radicalised online, those interviewed did not mention encountering extreme social media content. Many of them had been diagnosed with ADHD and had no prior history of trouble with the authorities. Most of them – who were primarily boys – tried to leave once the violence escalated, but in fact struggled to do so. When encouraged by adults to throw objects at the police, they complied without fully understanding why, and later regretted their actions.
Severe sentences handed down to young people
Most of those charged expressed remorse and just wanted to move on with their lives, yet the report also highlighted that the sentences handed down to them were severe, given their level of involvement. While I will not comment on the severity of the judgments, the report does not sufficiently explore how these young people became involved in the riots in the first place.
It is evident that social media played a key role in general in fomenting the riots and platforms like Elon Musk’s ‘X’ and Telegram – long used for coordinating right-wing protests—were instrumental.
This ties into a broader issue: the inability of young people, or perhaps some people in general, to differentiate between reality and misinformation on social media. A 2023 Ofcom report found that over a third of social media users struggle to assess whether content is false or biased. Among young people analysed in this study, 27% believed they could identify fake profiles, yet failed to do so when tested. The report should have delved deeper into what these young people were exposed to online that led them to participate in the protests.
Where the report does provide valuable insight is in its discussion of youth services. Many of the young people interviewed emphasised the need for more youth activities and services to improve their lives. They also expressed a desire for better employment opportunities and action to address poverty. One interviewee said, “Kids should be able to do anything that suits them. I’ve been looking for a job, but it’s so hard if you haven’t got connections. No one ever gets back to you.”
Severe decline in youth services
Over the years there has been a severe decline in youth services, with non-existent career guidance and support, fewer job opportunities, and limited chances to build workplace connections. It is not surprising that so many young people face an increasingly difficult path to securing a stable future.
The dismantling of youth services has been an ongoing issue since the Tories’ austerity measures that were began in 2010. A paper published by the Institute of Fiscal Studies, in association with the Nuffield Foundation, found that 30% of youth clubs in London closed between 2010 and 2019. As a result, young people who lost access to these clubs saw a 4% drop in their GCSE performance – equivalent to half a grade in a subject. For those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, such as students receiving free school meals, the decline was even steeper, amounting to a full grade lower.
Such educational setbacks limit job prospects and access to further learning, whether through academia, apprenticeships, or technical qualifications. The same study also found that young people who lost access to youth clubs were 14% more likely to engage in criminal activity. This increase was particularly notable in theft, robbery, shoplifting, drug offenses, and violent crimes.
While data on the long-term impact of youth service closures is still emerging, the consequences are already visible. Traditionally, youth centres have served two key functions: fostering life skills and providing a space for socialisation, but a study by the public sector union, UNISON, found that 42% of councils in England and Wales no longer operate their own youth centres, despite the important role they play.
While recent initiatives have focused on preparing young people for employment, youth centres were once more than just job training hubs – they provided recreation facilities, hobbies, and a safe environment for young people whose parents may perhaps work long hours. These spaces helped young people develop connections, explore interests beyond work, and become well-rounded individuals.
Labour commitment to spend £95mn on youth hubs
On the morning the Children’s Commissioner’s report was released, Rachel de Souza suggested in a BBC Breakfast interview that the government needed to prioritise services for young people, including building or reopening centres so. This is absolutely correct. The Labour government should restore funding to local councils that was taken away by the Tories, so that they can build youth centres and introduce other initiatives that engage young people.
Under plans put forward by Labour in June, before the general election, there was a promise to allocate £95mn to build youth hubs, funded by the VAT increase on private school fees. While this is a small start, the proposals clearly don’t go far enough. They seem more like “drop-in” services to patch young people up rather than spaces for recreational activities and socialisation.
Moreover the centres are now referred to as “hubs,” focusing on career advice or mental health support. While I am not opposed to these, as they will help young people in some ways, the focus remains too much on ‘productivity’ – preparing young people for a career, rather than giving them the freedom to socialise and pursue recreational interests without the constant pressure of future planning, tests and exams, which they already face every day at school.
And while £95mn might seem significant, it does little to counteract the £600mn cut from local authority youth services between 2011 and 2021, as reported by UK Youth. It looks like the Starmer government is just not being serious about supporting young people and tackling youth crime.
If it were, it would pledge to restore funding taken away and reinvest it in youth services run by local councils, fostering community spaces where young people can socialise without relying solely on mobile phones and the often perilous realms of social media for connections.
Recently, I’ve been watching the television show Boarders on BBC Three. It is a coming-of-age dramedy about five young Black students who win scholarships to attend a private school, where they face institutional racism and discrimination from both peers and staff. They secured these scholarships thanks to a community centre and its leader, Gus (also the show’s writer and creator), who supported them through the scholarship programme because he recognised their talent.
While I would argue against the idea that private schools should offer such programmes – as private schools should not exist, and efforts should focus on raising standards across all state schools – this reflects the ethos of youth centres and their staff: to give young people a future and a sense of community.
Youth centres help young people face adversity and rely on each other for support. They are more than just buildings for future productivity; they offer hope and a sense of comradeship, even in the most challenging times. That is why youth centres should be restored with full funding, and the Labour government must be pressured to make this a priority.
Unions like UNISON, having produced such a good report on lost youth services, must put their money where their mouth is and demand of Starmer that he restore the service, instead of – as he seems to be doing – winding up for more public spending cuts.
[Picture is from Boarders on BBC i-player. The progamme can be found here].
