More weekend activities for youngsters

Rochdale Council is set to increase the number of activities available to young people at weekends.

This major government drive aims to provide a key opportunity for councils to offer more things to do and places for young people to go on Friday and Saturday nights.

Current research shows only around 15% of activities are available on Friday evenings and just 2.5% on Saturday evenings. 

In areas where weekend activities are available there has been a significant reduction in incidents of anti-social behaviour, by as much as 50% in some areas. 

Dawn Primarolo, Minister for Children and Young People said: “I want to see local areas pulling out all the stops to make sure there are places open for young people on Friday and Saturday nights, because that is obviously the time they most want and need them. We want to see places that young people actually want to go to where they can take part in a range of fun and interesting activities. 

“The majority of young people are a credit to their families and communities and they deserve to have interesting things on offer to help them develop their skills and talents. 

“For some young people the lack of places to go can lead to them getting involved in risky and anti-social behaviour. This can have awful consequences for the young person but it can also blight communities. That is why it is vital that local areas open up their youth provision at the weekends and we are investing heavily to support them in doing this.”