How did Big Local areas support children and young people in their communities?

Young people (aged 19 and under), on average made up over a quarter of the population of Big Local areas (ONS, 2022a). In some urban Big Local areas, nearly 50 per cent of residents were under the age of 24 (ONS, 2022b). Across all Big Local areas, an average of 34 per cent of those aged under 19 lived in relative low-income households (compared to 22 per cent across England) (DWP, 2025). In addition, 34 per cent of those aged under 19 were living in lone-parent households (compared to 24 per cent across England) (ONS, 2024). The high level of young people in low-income or lone-parent households, alongside community consultation findings, meant that supporting children and young people was a common priority for Big Local areas. Programme-wide spend data shows that by August 2025, over £10.8m had been spent by 117 Big Local areas to support children and young people. 

While youth services across England generally aim to support those aged 8 to 25, most funding is aimed at those aged 11 to 18 (NYA, 2021). In Big Local delivery, the types of services that partnerships chose to support varied depending on the community context.

Community consultation undertaken in Big Local areas often provided partnerships with clear support for improving local services for children and young people. Many Big Local partnerships actively cultivated input from young residents through specific activities or engaging with them in spaces where they already met. The main need that arose was a lack of things for young people to do (or do safely) in their area.

There were also more complex issues that partnerships hoped to address. In some Big Local areas, the wider community raised concerns about the involvement of young people in anti-social behaviour. Partnerships sometimes reflected that these concerns were overstated. However, they hoped that growing the number and quality of activities would provide young people with more access to safe places to have fun with peers, while being supported by trusted adults. When choosing activities, projects, or organisations to support, partnerships often focused on those that would support young people aged 16 and over, to build skills and lay foundations for future employment. In other cases, support focused on giving children and young people the chance to try something new, hoping to increase their aspirations for the future (like drama clubs or outdoor trips involving hiking, climbing, or kayaking).

Much of this delivery occurred in the context of cuts to youth sector budgets. Local authorities reduced expenditure on youth services, amounting to a 74 per cent cut between 2011 and 2021 (YMCA England and Wales, 2022), and 1,243 council-run youth centres closed in England and Wales between 2010 and 2023 (UNISON, 2024). Closures and cuts also impacted children’s centres aimed at supporting families and young people’s early development (Smith et al., 2018). The impact of these cuts was already being felt in some Big Local communities at the start of the programme in 2012. It may also have fed into residents’ views around the lack of things for young people to do and perceived increases in anti-social behaviour.

The main way Big Local funding was invested in supporting children and young people was through providing things to do. This included sports, theatre groups, creative workshops, trips (to beaches, museums and theme parks), and scheduled activities through youth clubs, community centres, and holiday, activities and food (HAF) programmes. Supported activities were generally open to everyone, however some initiatives aimed to meet specific local needs by targeting certain groups.

Whether funding outside spaces (such as skateparks) or activity costs, it was important for most Big Local partnerships to ensure that access was free or low-cost. They wanted to ensure that children and young people could get involved in activities they may not otherwise have been able to.

Many partnerships aimed to do more than provide fun activities – they hoped these activities would provide opportunities for additional development or support. This is an established outcome of youth provision, with supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing a growing role of youth work providers (NYA, 2024). Newington Big Local created a successful space for 10 to 18 year olds to choose what they did and the skills they would develop. While young people built confidence and ownership through choosing activities, staff provided a safe space for them to try new things (such as cooking or indoor sports) and develop positive relationships with peers and adults. Young people were able to build their creative and social skills, reporting improvements to self-esteem and emotional wellbeing. For the Newington Big Local partnership, supporting these activities was key to providing a safe space where young people could feel supported, connect positively, and embrace new opportunities.

Providing free or low-cost activities for children and young people grew as a priority for Big Local areas as the cost of living crisis developed in the later years of the programme. Many partnerships recognised the challenges faced by families in their community, and aimed to address them through expanding the opportunities for children and young people. 

Local Trust explores the impact of the cost-of-living crisis in Big Local communities in another upcoming article. 

In many Big Local areas, large community events were a staple of the calendar, encouraging all residents, especially families, to come together and celebrate occasions such as Christmas, Halloween, and Eid. Big Local funding was invested in ensuring these events would appeal to families – sourcing low-cost food or exciting activities (like Santa’s Grottos and live snake encounters). Every year, Chinbrook Big Local would partner with their community orchard to celebrate Apple Day. To ensure this existing event met a wider range of community needs, Big Local funding was used to fund free food and activities for children, leading to 200 to 300 residents attending every year. 

Big Local partnerships also reported that events and activities aimed at families and children often opened doors for new volunteers, as parents or carers would want to get involved in making projects happen. There was a recognition that bringing children and families together could impact parents’ and carers’ wellbeing, as seen in the youth football team supported by Slade Green Big Local.

Some Big Local partnerships worked with schools to fund extracurricular activities or trips, recognising this could be an important way to support a larger, more diverse number of young residents. In Kirk Hallam Big Local, this included donating one book for every child at the local primary school during the Covid-19 pandemic to improve opportunities for reading at home. The partnership in Langold, Carlton and Costhorpe distributed grants to two primary schools to expand a nursery, fund a new playground, and create a music room. The combined £300,000 in Big Local funding led to a greater number of nursery places for local families and greater classroom engagement.

In a context where over 1,000 children’s centres closed between 2009 and 2018 (Smith et al. 2018), some Big Local partnerships aimed to ensure services and support for families and young children continued in their communities. In some cases, this involved working with Home-Start (a national charity that works with families with young children experiencing challenging times), using funding to train residents as volunteers and provide bespoke support for families. 

Kingswood and Hazel Leys Big Local worked with Home-Start to provide support to families, including signposting and information sharing. Bespoke support was also funded to meet specific needs of individual families, such as a new washing machine or redecorating a child’s bedroom. Working with Big Local DY10, Home-Start Wyre Forest delivered support during the Covid-19 pandemic. They found that online wellbeing sessions for parents and carers, and remote befriending activities helped ensure ongoing support through a challenging time. By 2021, the organisation had supported 131 children and 62 families, and trained and recruited 19 volunteers.

Alongside a lack of things for young people to do, community consultations in Big Local areas often raised concerns around a shortage of job or training opportunities for younger residents. For many partnerships, addressing this need was central to their support for young people aged 16 and over. For example, in some areas Big Local funding was invested in projects looking to provide training and skill-building opportunities. 

In Par Bay Big Local, seed funding enabled a unique technical skills training centre to be set up on a restored railway turntable, that was once an important site for local industry. While volunteers of all ages supported the site day-to-day, the team managing the centre developed training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for young people, particularly those with neurodivergence. In Heston West Big Local, a film club became a key legacy of Big Local. After seven years of development during the programme, it continued after Big Local finished. It offered young people an opportunity to gain work experience on community-led film projects, visit film studios and film festivals, or make their own video content (such as music videos or short films). 

Projects like this demonstrate how Big Local funding was able to tackle two community needs at once: providing things for young people to do and providing opportunities to help upskill for the future.

Other areas utilised the flexible Big Local funding to directly provide local employment opportunities. Working with existing providers to fund apprenticeships opened up opportunities for young people to get training and experience in areas such as landscape gardening and teaching. While the impact was limited (typically with up to five apprenticeships in each of these areas), it was considered meaningful for those young residents involved, with most continuing their education or being employed in their newfound profession.

There were multiple instances of partnerships intervening to save youth clubs or youth organisations, with Big Local funding covering core costs at critical junctures. In other areas, Big Local funding was used to recruit additional youth workers in existing organisations. This helped meet need, expand opportunities for detached work with young people (which involves engaging them in settings of their choosing), and provide longer-term support.

With support from Allenton Big Local, one youth organisation extended their mentoring programme from providing two years of support, to providing support throughout secondary education. Outside of the Big Local programme, typical funding opportunities for youth organisations were aimed at targeted provision, often through short-term grants (NYA, 2024). This can lead to challenges for youth organisations to cover overheads or provide longer-term or open access opportunities for more young people. This highlights the importance of the flexible nature of Big Local funding as partnerships often supported local youth organisations with grants to cover a range of costs – from improving buildings to extending provision. 

However, in some parts of England, funding cuts had led to a generational gap in qualified youth workers, creating a more challenging context for Big Local partnerships looking to support young people in their communities. This was particularly the case in rural areas where larger numbers of youth workers are required for outreach, due to geographical spread (NYA, 2021). 

In Ramsey Million Big Local, a group of parents were provided with seed funding to set up an informal summer playscheme for 5 to 10 year olds, due to a lack of similar provision in the rural area. As attendance grew and it became a weekly youth club, further Big Local funding was allocated for a qualified youth worker to lead the project. A steady stream of volunteers meant parallel groups could be established for younger and older children, with Big Local funding enabling volunteers to attend formal training and gain youth work qualifications to support their roles. Alongside meeting a foundational need by expanding the local youth sector workforce, this Big Local partnership enabled community-led youth provision that could guide children from their early years, through their teenage years, and into adulthood. 

With Big Local funding, partnerships were able to support new or existing provision for young residents. Community consultation highlighted gaps in youth provision and a lack of things to do, providing partnerships with clear direction to support young people’s wellbeing, build their aspirations, and develop their skills for the future.