Kerry McCarthy Labour MP for Bristol East
Kerry has welcomed the announcement by Bev Hughes, the Children’s Minister, of an extra 184m in government spending over the three years to 2011, to help establish a network of youth centres for teenagers in every community in England.
The programme will also be funded from an estimated 100m in unclaimed assets lying in dormant bank accounts.
The Minister has said that in future young people should have much more say in how this money is spent, with the aim that within 10 years they should be controlling 25% of local authorities’ youth budgets.
Many areas of Kerry’s constituency lack adequate facilities for young people, although the extended schools programme and the inclusion of better facilities at the three BSF secondary schools being built in east Bristol (at Speedwell, Whitefields Fishponds and Brislington) which help address this.
There are also new sports facilities opening, including the Imperial Grounds site and the new ball court behind Easton Community Centre.