COUNCILLORS in Basildon have agreed to invest £300,000 in youth services as part of a grant funding agreement with Essex County Council for the provision of services for young people in the borough.

Essex County Council Youth Service (ECCYS) provides informal education, social and personal development opportunities for young people aged 13 to 19 years in Essex or up to 25 for those with a learning or physical or other disability.

The Communities and Wellbeing Committee met last night (Tuesday, 5 October) to consider investing £100,000 a year for three years to enhance the number of youth workers in the borough.

Chairman of the Communities and Wellbeing Committee Cllr Terri Sargent said: "This funding will open up opportunities for youth engagement across the whole borough and help enhance the service for the benefit of all our young people."

Essex County Council Youth Workers will work both in-situ; referring to physical buildings e.g. schools, youth centres and hospitals; and detached on the streets and in communities to identify what is needed.

There are also plans for a borough-wide consultation with young people to identify, assess and analyse the nature of their needs in order to inform the provision of future youth services in the borough and direct allocated funding accordingly.