London Sadiq Khan pledges £15m a year to tackle youth crime in London Mayor targets capital’s most disadvantaged with education, sport and cultural initiatives Mayor of London condemned government cuts that led to the closure of 30 youth centres. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/ReutersThe mayor of London has promised £15m a year to fund education, sport and cultural activities for the capital’s most disadvantaged young people, in an effort to steer them away from crime and violence. Sadiq Khan announced the three-year initiative, worth £45m, and condemned cuts by the government that had led to the closure of 30 youth centres in London, involving 12,700 places for young people, since 2011. Such services were vital to help young people avoid being “sucked into crime”, he said. Two-thirds of the new funding will be put into a fund from which local communities, charities and schools will be invited to bid for cash, while the remaining third will boost existing youth projects already funded by City Hall.

Source: The Guardian February 13, 2018 13:07 UTC