London Youth responds to the King’s Speech
19 July 2024
The King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament outlined the Government’s legislative plans for the year ahead, including measures to tackle some of the most pressing issues affecting young people.
We previously welcomed the Government’s commitments supporting some of our key policy concerns here, including those recognising the vital role of youth work and addressing the mental health crisis for young people.
The Prime Minister, in his framing of the new legislative programme, stated that the Government would be mission-led, driven by achieving “security, fairness and opportunity for all”. In the first King’s Speech under Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government, those policies that touched on the youth sector and young people were mostly captured in measures:
- tackling anti-social behaviour and knife crime, including preventative measures that youth workers will be engaged in delivering in the Young Futures hubs initiative;
- outlining educational reform, establishing a new body Skills England, and reforming the apprenticeship levy into a new “growth and skills levy”;
- introducing a new Children’s Wellbeing Bill, providing free breakfast clubs in primary schools, alongside a broader child poverty strategy and an updated Mental Health Act.
We welcome measures to support young people living in poverty alongside key National Health Service measures to improve mental health provision, and commitment to ensure “mental health is given the same attention as physical health”. This is something young people have been calling out for, so it is good to see this acknowledged.
However, a key commitment to reduce the voting age and introduce votes for 16- and 17-year-olds was notably absent from the legislative programme. We urge the government to introduce legislative measures as soon as possible.
In a statement, Pauline Daniyan, CEO of London Youth, said:
“The King’s speech outlines measures to tackle one of the greatest challenges facing young people: their mental and physical wellbeing. Addressing poor mental health in young people is crucial in enabling access to opportunities and future employment.
Recognition of the vital role of youth workers in the Young Futures partnerships programme is a welcome step forward. Community youth organisations play a pivotal role in unlocking young people’s skills and supporting their wellbeing, yet many are facing a financial cliff-edge. Our members tell us that their survival, and the future of the youth practitioner workforce, depends on covering core costs and securing unrestricted long-term funding. A constraint in delivering this proposed initiative will be the shortage of youth workers in all the places where young people require their support.
We look forward to working with the government and our sector partners to find solutions to secure the future of such vital preventative youth work.”
