- Conference
- 2024 National Young Members' Conference
- Date
- 2 August 2024
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes the effects that cuts to our public services are having on Young People.
Youth services have been slashed over the last 14 years; there is a rise in poor mental health amongst young people – with one in three people aged 18-24 now having symptoms of a mental health disorder – whilst our services decline. Young people are continuing to be brutalised by a justice system that focuses on punishment and protection for property rather than prevention and rehabilitation.
This conference recognises the perilous state of many of our public services after 14 years of Tory misrule. It is estimated that the NHS has a shortfall of £5 billion. Our surveys show that Local Government has a funding gap of £3.5 billion for this year, and many other services are in a similar situation. Conference notes that the new Labour Government has, so far, only committed to increasing funding to public services if the economy grows – and at the time of writing this motion, the Labour Party Chancellor has confirmed a series of spending cuts, with more to be revealed in the upcoming October budget. This will lead to a further deterioration of public services and could increase the pressure particularly on our young members.
The wealth of the UK could easily meet the needs of our public services if it was collectively owned and democratically planned and used for the benefit of all. If that wealth is kept in private ownership our public services will continue to face cuts and closures. It will leave services starved with increasing staff shortages by effectively underpaying those providing the service.
Our Young Members disproportionately face the double burden of reducing services and having to deliver them with unsafe staffing levels, low pay and attacks to terms and conditions.
This conference resolves to call on the National Young Members Forum to:
1. Produce a report on the impact of austerity on Young Members in time for next year’s National Young Members Conference,
2. Work with the Labour Link Committee to campaign for the Labour Government to increase funding for all public services,
3. Work with all Service Groups to campaign for a policy of ‘No Cuts’ to our public services and to fight for the funding needed to bring services back to pre-2010 levels.