• Part of the National Youth Strategy, a network of 50 Hubs will provide joined-up services across mental health and wellbeing, employment and crime prevention
• Next week the Government will launch its plan to halve knife crime within a decade to save lives, transform the futures of young people and protect communities across the country

Young people in eight locations across England are to benefit from the first ‘Young Futures Hubs’ opened by the Government. The hubs, targeted in areas with high levels of anti-social behaviour and knife crime, will:

• Transform the lives of young people, cut crime and protect communities 
• Divert them away from knife crime and anti-social behaviour
• Provide them with services and advice to combat social isolation, mental health and unemployment
• Give access to safe, trusted adults

Under the government’s National Youth Strategy, Youth Matters, the first eight of 50 Young Futures Hubs have opened or will shortly open in Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Durham, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham and Tower Hamlets.

Hubs will build on existing services, and create safe, welcoming spaces bringing a range of local support services under one roof. Young people aged 10-18 (and up to 25 for those with SEND) will have access to trusted adults who will provide wellbeing support, careers guidance, and positive activities like sport, arts and volunteering. The government is committed to ensuring that success for young people is not determined by their background, and the hubs will also offer support for vulnerable children. These activities help divert young people away from knife crime and anti-social behaviour, as well as combat social isolation and mental health, and increase access to job opportunities for young people.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:

The closure of over a thousand youth centres since 2010 didn’t just take away facilities, it took away community, connection and opportunity for a generation. We are determined to rebuild that.

These hubs are about more than bricks and mortar, they’re a statement that this government believes in young people and is investing in their futures. What makes them different is that we’re joining things up – wellbeing support, crime prevention, work coaches, youth services, all in one place. 

We’re making sure teenagers have somewhere to go, someone to talk to, and a real chance to thrive.

This comes as the Government launches its plan to halve knife crime within a decade. Titled “Protecting Lives, Building Hope”, it will save lives, transform the futures of young people and protect communities across the country. The Government will support young people so they get the best start in life, stop those at risk from turning to knife crime and police our streets to catch and punish perpetrators. 

In some areas, the Hubs will work with new multi-agency Young Futures Panels, to ensure children at risk of knife crime are provided with the support they need.  The panels bring together the police, children’s services, schools, and community organisations to identify vulnerable children early, spot risks that may otherwise go unnoticed, and ensure they are quickly referred into the right support before issues escalate. 

Sarah Jones, Policing Minister, said: 

Knife crime devastates lives. Behind every statistic is a child who didn’t make it home, a family whose world has been shattered, and a community left with fear. This Government will halve knife crime within a decade, saving lives and protecting communities. We will roll out Young Futures Hubs in crime hotspots across the country to divert young people from violence, cut crime and protect communities.

The Prime Minister has spoken of how young people have become “collateral damage” over the past decade, prompting the launch of the National Youth Strategy – the first in 15 years. The ambitious 10-year plan to rebuild youth services is backed by over £500 million of investment, and was designed in collaboration with more than 14,000 young people across England.

£70 million will be invested to establish 50 Young Futures Hubs and transform local youth services, rebuilding Local Authority capability after a decade of declining investment, with spending falling by 73% since 2010. As a result, many young people have been left without access to safe, supportive environments or a community to belong to, while reliance on online interaction has grown in the absence of face-to-face opportunities.

Minister for Youth and Civil Society Stephanie Peacock said:

When this Government developed the National Youth Strategy, we listened to over 14,000 young people from across the country. What came through clearly was that they wanted somewhere to go, something to do, and someone who cares. Young Futures Hubs are part our response to this and we are delighted to see the first eight up and running. Hubs are places where young people can belong, with trusted adults and positive activities all under one roof. Keeping young people safe and away from crime starts with making sure they have the right support around them, and that’s exactly what these hubs deliver.

The Young Futures Hubs programme has been designed to respond directly to these challenges by creating welcoming, youth-led spaces where young people can enjoy real-life connections, with somewhere to go, something to do, and someone who cares for them.

From the Barca Leeds in Bramley to the Full Circle Docklands in Bristol, each hub has been co-designed with young people themselves, ensuring the atmosphere and activities reflect their true needs and passions.

The eight Young Futures Hubs have opened or will shortly open in the following locations:

• Manchester: Young Futures Hub (YF Hub) network based across Moss Side Millenium Powerhouse (Moss Side), Manchester Youth Zone (Harpurhey), and Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre (Wythenshawe), with further outreach planned in six smaller neighbourhood hubs across the city. 
• Birmingham: YF Hub to open in temporary location at Library of Birmingham before moving to permanent Cannon Street site from summer 2026. 
• Brighton and Hove: Main YF Hub based at 67 Centre, with linked sites in central locations at Brighton Youth Centre, Tarner and Impact Initiatives, as well as in Hangleton and Knoll. Further offers in the east of the city are under development. 
• County Durham: YF Hub based at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre.
• Bristol: Main YF Hub based at Full Circle Docklands, with enhanced provision and a connected network across five venues in Ashley, Central and Lawrence Hill wards, connecting the Hub with additional outreach in the community and schools. 
• Tower Hamlets: YF Hub based at Haileybury Youth Centre in the central St Dunstan’s ward.
• Leeds: Main YF Hub based at Barca Leeds in Bramley, with additional ‘spokes’ sites at LS-TEN in south Leeds and Imagination Station in east Leeds. 
• Nottingham: Main YF hub based at Beaumont Street Community Centre with plans to work with partners to provide services for all children and young people to access across the City.

More information on specific provision at each site is available on request. 

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The full National Youth Strategy and the State of the Nation report are available at GOV.UK.
2. Young Futures Hubs: The programme is part of a £70 million investment into local youth services running until March 2029.
3. Local Youth Transformation Fund: The first eight hubs have also benefitted from the Local Youth Transformation Fund, backed by £4 million, to help ensure all of the Young Futures Hubs are built on a strong foundation of capability and leadership.
4. Closer connected core services: The hubs connect core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice, and policing. 
5. Early Adopters: The eight selected regions are: Birmingham, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Durham County, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, and Tower Hamlets. The subsequent 42 hubs will be rolled out over the next four years.
6. Statutory Duty: The programme supports the statutory duty placed upon local authorities to provide a local youth offer under Section 507B of the Education Act 1996.
7. Data: Spending on youth services by local authorities has dropped by 73% over the last decade, with 1,036 council-run centres closing since 2010.
8. Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Youth Hubs: Young Futures Hubs are establishing links with DWP Youth Hubs, facilitating transitions for young people as they move towards the upper age limit of the programme’s range, 16-18 (up to 25 for SEND young adults).
9. The Young Futures Hubs feature in the Government’s Halving Knife Crime Action Plan, a government plan to intervene earlier through our Young Futures Programme to ensure young people who are facing poorer outcomes and are vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way. This is due to be published on 7 April 2026.