Without competing as to which group has been most affected by austerity and agreeing with Jackie Ashley’s concern about cuts in services for disabled people (In Rio, as in Britain, disability rights are under attack again, 25 August), please do not forget the position of young people’s services. A recent survey by Unison of 180 local authorities that provide youth services in the UK estimates that cuts in youth service spending stand at £387m since April 2010. As the chair of a youth charity (which receives no statutory funds but works with partners who rely on them), I cannot help but wonder whether there is a link between the enormous cuts in youth service provision and the current rise in knife crime among young people.
Don Macdonald
Chair, London Football Journeys
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