'Going off a cliff'

The struggle to keep clubs open

- Jessica Murray

“I feel like I’m failing because I can’t reach everyone,” said Toni Dodd, the centre manager of Karma in the Community, a youth service in Knowsley on the outskirts of Liverpool.

“I will go over and get kids hanging outside the shops, bring them in, but it’s who am I not reaching? It just takes one thing, and they’re on that track into crime, into drugs. There are kids going into school on ketamine. I do all I can but it’s so hard to keep it open and running, and you can’t meet the demands there is.”

Young people in Knowsley don’t have it easy. New research by Social Investment Business (SIB) and the University of Leeds has shown that of all local authorities in England, it has the most youth work “black holes” - areas with high need, in the form of deprivation and antisocial behaviour, but few or no youth services.

The borough also has no A-level provision for its students, who must travel into Liverpool or neighbouring council areas to study post-16. Although improving, it still has the lowest GCSE pass rate in the UK, with 23% of students achieving grade 5 or above for English and maths in 2023-24.