Instead people woke up on the Friday morning to find that the Conservatives were heading for an overall majority. With the election now behind us - what does a majority Conservative government mean for young people?
YMCA was founded in the days when the Whigs were still in existence, so it is fair to say that YMCA has genuinely worked with governments of all political persuasions. Our approach will not change – where we support the Government we will say so but we will also not be afraid to say when we think the Government has got it wrong and needs a different approach.
The Government’s agenda for significantly expanding the number of apprenticeships and enhancing training and skills opportunities is to be welcomed. YMCA knows from the many young people it works with that one size does not fit all. Some young people want to go into higher education while others want the opportunity to learn a trade and develop their skills through vocational routes. We welcome this approach because it mirrors much of the work that YMCAs have undertaken with young people for some years. YMCA is not about taking young people and developing them into benefitdependent adults, but rather working with them to give them support in dealing with problems they may have while also developing their skills to enable them to make the right choices for their own lives. Being able to secure steady and fulfilling training and jobs has to be a key part of this – not only because it gives them skills for life and money in their pocket, but also because it restores confidence and gives that young person the opportunities to control their own way in life. YMCA therefore wants to work closely with the government to make sure that their aspirations do really translate into meaningful change for young people across the country.
Our biggest concern lies around the future of housing benefit entitlement for 18 to 21 year-olds. For some time the Conservative Party has stated that it intends to end automatic housing benefit entitlement for this age group (initially it was up to 25 but was subsequently reduced) and this proposal did form part of the Conservative manifesto during the election campaign. The rationale behind the policy is the belief that some young people are choosing to leave home and then using the welfare system to get their own place. Ending this, it is argued, would save around £120 million and contribute to the overall £12 billion of welfare savings that the Conservatives have pledged to find.
While cases no doubt can be found of some young people who are using the welfare system to suit their own lifestyle needs rather than hardship needs, the reality is that for a lot of young people the housing benefit system is a lifeline to escaping difficult, abusive and dangerous backgrounds. Young people who present themselves to YMCAs are not usually doing so as a lifestyle choice, but rather because they have no choice. Removing housing benefit entitlement for these young people will mean only two things – either they are forced to remain in these potentially dangerous situations or they will end up ‘sofa-surfing’ or sleeping on the streets.
It is genuinely difficult to believe that a government of any political persuasion will want to go down this path, and the Conservatives have said on a number of occasions that any proposals would contain exemptions to protect vulnerable young people. As a minimum position YMCA will be battling to make sure that this is the case, but the problem with exemptions is that they always stop somewhere and a lot of young people who need help and support may find themselves on the wrong side of the cut-off. Our own figures have also shown that the £120 million saving figure is correct, but only if there is no protection system in place - so it naturally raises concerns that in reality no such protection will be afforded to young people. The next five years promise to be interesting.
Jason Stacey, director of policy, research and communications at YMCA England
