Lib Dem President visits Liverpool youth centre as Cashman pledges expansion of youth services across the city

Josh Babarinde MP, President of the Liberal Democrats, visited the FireFit Hub in Toxteth on Thursday 2nd July, as Liverpool Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr Carl Cashman set out plans to expand youth provision across the city, with a particular focus on north Liverpool, where services are thinnest on the ground.

The visit comes as youth services across England remain under severe pressure: the latest YMCA analysis found council funding for youth services fell by 10% in the past year alone, the biggest annual cut in almost a decade, with one in twelve councils now running no youth centres at all.

FireFit, which opened in 2012 following a £5.2 million transformation of the former Toxteth Sports Centre and is now run by Torus Foundation, offers sport, creative programmes and community activities for young people aged 6–19, six days a week. The Liberal Democrats want to see centres like it replicated in parts of the city that currently lack this kind of provision.

The visit carried personal significance for Mr Babarinde, who worked with young people at risk before entering Parliament. He also founded Cracked It, a social enterprise offering smartphone repair services delivered by young ex-offenders and young people at risk, training them in employable skills.

Josh Babarinde MP said:

"FireFit is exactly what great youth provision looks like, a place young people actually want to be, run by people who believe in them. Before I came into politics I worked with young people who had been written off, and I saw first-hand that when you give them skills, trust and somewhere to belong, that’s when they thrive.

“Every young person in Liverpool deserves that chance, whichever part of the city they grow up in. Carl and the Liverpool Liberal Democrat team have a serious plan to make that happen, and it was brilliant to see it for myself today.”

Cllr Carl Cashman, Leader of the Liverpool Liberal Democrats and Leader of the Opposition on Liverpool City Council, said:

"FireFit is an amazing example of the good that can come from youth provision. It's helped take young people off the streets and reduced antisocial behaviour and youth crime in the area. It's important that we expand services like this to keep our city safe and to prevent young people from going into a life of crime.

“It was great to show Josh around FireFit today, and to show everyone what a Lib Dem council will deliver. We're serious about working with local communities to improve our city, this visit represents exactly that.”