National Youth Strategy

Baroness Twycross Excerpts

Thursday 23rd July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Morgan of Drefelin]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress they have made regarding the implementation of the National Youth Strategy and associated funding programmes.

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, and The Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Twycross) (Lab)]

Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy is a 10-year cross-government plan backed by over £500 million in DCMS funding. We are moving forward with delivering it. We are mobilising our enrichment expansion programme and have launched a delivery partner competition for the Youth Matters fund. Eight Young Futures hubs are operational, and we announced a £10 million match-funded investment in partnership with the King’s Trust to increase access to trusted adults for young people.

[Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for that Answer and the work that she and her department are doing in this important area. Can she reassure the House that the Government fully appreciate the value of funding for national youth organisations such as police and fire cadets, the Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade, Scouts, Guides and so on? They create the local opportunities for safe, evidence-based enrichment programmes that are led by trusted adults, particularly at a time of rising waiting lists for these activities, and they have a proven ability to deliver in disadvantaged and faith-based communities.

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[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

Having seen at first hand the importance of the Fire Cadets when I was working for the Mayor of London, I know, and the department and the Secretary of State know, that uniformed youth organisations provide impactful opportunities for young people nationwide. We have provided over £24 million since 2022 to expand their provision. Following discussions with my noble friend at the beginning of the year—and proving the value of Oral Questions—we are currently providing £1.2 million in transitional funding to build their long-term sustainability and resilience. These organisations remain a valued part of the youth sector, and we will share eligibility criteria for future funding streams in due course.

[Lord Addington (LD)]

My Lords, the Government have announced a policy. That is great, but we have had other policies in this area before. What guidance can we get so that the Government are tapping into those established organisations—we have heard about the uniformed officers, but there are also the national governing bodies in sports—which have an incentive to ensure that these things continue to run? What are the Government doing to ensure that those who are already in the field have a guarantee that for the next few years they will get extra help?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

As I said, we will publish the criteria in due course, but I assure the noble Lord that we worked with young people and sector experts in co-producing the strategy Youth Matters. Those voices from the sector were at the heart of how we created the strategy and they will be part of the conversation going forward.

[Lord Bailey of Paddington (Con)]

Given that the uniformed groups, particularly the cadets, are a major force for good in this country and expose young people in disadvantaged communities to some of the most committed professional people on the planet, what reassurances can the Minister give us that the Government will look at the long-term financial viability of cadets based in the community and in schools? I declare my interest as chair of a cadet health check team and that yesterday my daughter became a serving member of the RAF.

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I congratulate the noble Lord on his daughter’s success in her career and wish her all the best for the future. We recognise the role that uniformed youth groups can play. That is why we are providing £1.2 million of transitional funding. We will publish criteria for future funding soon. We anticipate that these organisations will be eligible for our future funds. Like the noble Lord, we know how important the uniformed youth organisations are— and not just in an ethereal, theoretical sense. Up and down the country, the adults running some of these organisations are working with young people who need that trusted adult to take forward and mentor them.

[Baroness Blackstone (Lab)]

My Lords, what steps is the Minister’s department taking to encourage arts organisations and the creative industries to work with not just schools but youth organisations and FE colleges?

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[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I might need to come back to my noble friend with some of the detail. We are clear that, when we talk about arts everywhere for everyone, that is also within all parts of our infrastructure in the department. I look forward to having a longer conversation with my noble friend about that.

[The Lord Bishop of Chester]

I thank the Minister for her response and support both the questions that have been asked and this valuable work. My question is the other way around. Are His Majesty’s Government giving any thought to how common resources are offered to these valuable and diverse youth organisations—for example, in safeguarding or mental health provision among our teenage and young adult population?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I will have to write to the right reverend Prelate on this, but we are clear that having a rich breadth of activities is crucial to supporting young people’s mental health. As I alluded to in my response to the noble Lord, Lord Bailey, some of these organisations are working with children and young people who do not have a trusted adult elsewhere. Throughout the thread of our work, we are looking at how we can support young people in every way, but I will need to come back to the right reverend Prelate on those specifics.

[Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)]

My Lords, I welcome the Minister to her place and start by declaring an interest. Macclesfield is a long way from the sea, but we are very fortunate to have a wonderful sea cadet unit, TS Ardent. My two children had 10 years of fun and frolics on the water. By happy coincidence, the president of TS Ardent is the admiral and noble Lord, Lord West, who does a fantastic job and is very popular with the students and sea cadets. The previous Government set up the uniformed youth fund, which came to an end in March. In November 2024, the Department for Education also ended its £1.1 million grant to the cadet expansion programme. The national youth strategy highlights the Government’s ambition to expand in-school and community-based cadet forces by 30% by 2030, with £70 million of funding from the Ministry of Defence. Can the Minister confirm that this target and funding will remain in place despite the £5 billion black hole in the defence investment plan?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

If I was being ungenerous, I would refer to previous black holes that have been a matter of debate from this Bench. We are investing a significant amount of funding in and behind the strategy. We have over £400 million to improve access to enriching activities and youth work and for refurbishing or building up to 250 youth facilities. We have £22.5 million for a new programme to create brilliant enrichment offers in up to 400 schools. We are investing £15 million in youth workers, volunteers and other trusted adults. We are investing in rebuilding local youth services and establishing a network of 50 Young Futures hubs. We have £5 million to improve youth infrastructure at local and regional levels. That is before you even get to the funding coming through the dormant assets scheme. We are funding this. When you look at how important some of these activities are, including the sea cadets—my brothers were sea cadets in a landlocked county as well—you have to put the money behind it. We are doing that. The previous Government did not.

[Baroness Wheatcroft (CB)]

Does the Minister agree that one of the most widening experiences for children is to experience other cultures and countries? One of the most effective things to broaden the minds of youngsters is therefore exchange visits with other countries—perhaps predominantly in Europe because it is closer, but with any country. What are the Government doing to expand the exchange visit programme?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I benefited from an exchange, although I admit that I hated my French exchange. We are supporting this in a number of ways—through Erasmus and exchange programmes. We are pushing the Erasmus scheme beyond the university route, which I am delighted that we are doing. Unlike my French exchange, I had a good experience when I was a student studying abroad. It not only enriches people’s studies but gives young people the opportunity to understand the importance of speaking languages—I answered a Question last week about minority languages in this country.