I’VE grown weary of young people being described as ‘lazy, workshy wrong-uns who don’t know how lucky they are.’ Actually, I think the opposite is true. We, the adult population, have dealt them a really bad hand and they are struggling through, up to now, with very little support from society.

When you consider the challenges they face today – housing affordability way beyond their means; a highly competitive jobs market; a scarcity of advice and support other than from friends or family. Then you layer on top of that unregulated access to social media which constantly highlights unattainable perfection but, worse, promotes darker opinions and actions that lead young people down a cul-de-sac of misery and disappointment. And then there ‘we’ are, frowning and scolding them for riding a bike badly, for hanging round street corners (where else are they to go?) or for staying locked in their rooms for hours on end seeking solace and entertainment from their devices.

Enough. It is collectively our fault that young people have such a raw deal these days and it’s time to break this cycle and start replacing some of the facilities that they were deprived of during the years of austerity. So, this Labour government is launching a major expansion of Young Futures Hubs to tackle the biggest issues facing young people. 42 new Young Futures Hubs will open, reversing a decade of decline in local youth services. From Cornwall to Northumberland, mental health services, employment opportunities and crime prevention support will be brought together, making it easier for young people to access help in their local community.

Tens of thousands of young people will benefit. Young people aged 10 to 18, and up to 25 for those with SEND, will be able to access seamless, holistic support without having to repeatedly tell their story to different services. The programme is a key part of the Government’s National Youth Strategy, Youth Matters, launched by Lisa Nandy in December 2025 and co-produced with 14,000 young people through a landmark State of the Nation survey. Youth Matters sets out an ambition to rebuild youth services over the next decade, backed by over £500-million of Government investment. The strategy is designed to put power back in the hands of local communities, allowing young people to help design services around the skills and opportunities they need to shape their futures. This comes after a decade in which local government spending on youth services fell by 73% between 2010/11 and 2022/23, with more than 1,000 youth centres closing and over 4,500 youth worker roles being lost. A total of £70-million is being distributed by the UK Government to local authorities to establish Young Futures Hubs and deliver Local Youth Transformation projects between 2026/27 and 2028/29. Investing in our youth services is an investment in society. We need our young people to succeed, be happy and healthy. So rather than sitting by and whingeing at them, let’s collectively get stuck in, start talking to them, understanding them and building a society where young people can flourish.