Youth services - Tories add insult to injury

Two years ago Wiltshire Conservatives massacred the county's youth services. Surviving youth officers have worked hard in the meantime to rebuild after the devastation and to provide valuable help for young people in the county. Now the Tories have chosen to cut again, and those gallant individuals have been put at risk of redundancy. Here's an article from the Wiltshire Times, which reveals that the Tory tactic is to rubbish the officers:

http://m.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/14391955.Youth_workers_face_new_threat_of_redundancy/

And here's Jon Hubbard's response:

"How dare Conservative councillor Simon Jacobs blame the Community Youth Officers themselves for the latest cuts being imposed by the his Party at County.

In your publication Cllr Jacobs is quoted as saying that the job cuts are due to dedicated and committed Community Youth Officers not being up to the job - how dare he!

Cllr Jacobs owes an appology to every one of the Community Youth Officers, and frankly should consider his own position as a councillor if he feels that this is an appropriate statement to make. To make such insulting and untrue comments about staff who have worked so hard to try and salvage something from the savage cuts imposed by his Party just 18 months ago simply beggers belief.

If staff were not up to the job there is an established competancy process that would be followed - this has not happened so there is no basis on which he can base such a comment.

Clearly in Cllr Jacobs mind, if an existing Community Youth Officer is not appointed as a new Locality Youth Facilitator then they are not good at their job. How are staff at Wiltshire Council meant to keep any sense of motivation or wellbeing if councillors are spouting such insulting rubbish?

Jon Hubbard

Wiltshire Councillor for Melksham South​"