YOUTH services have been cut by almost a billion pounds in the past decade of Tory rule, new research has shown.

An analysis of government spending figures by Labour has shown that the amount of funding for local authorities’ young people’s services  has taken a real-terms cut of £880 million since 2010, a drop of 70 per cent.

The research also showed that 87 per cent of councils have slashed youth funding by at least 50 per cent in those years, with 50 per cent of councils having cut spending by more than 75 per cent for every young person in their remit.

Only two councils — the Labour-controlled councils of Islington and Camden — have actually increased their funding towards youth services.

Spending on youth justice work — where councils aim to reduce reoffending to keep local young people out of the justice system — has also been cut by 45 per cent. This is despite the fact that violent crime has risen across Britain by 19 per cent in the past year alone.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “Austerity is pushing our services to the brink and tearing the heart out of our communities.

“Cuts have consequences, and not only have the Tories betrayed a generation of young people, these cuts are creating the conditions in which crime can thrive.

“Labour in government will introduce legislation to guarantee quality youth services for all of our young people and we will give our councils the funding they need to invest in our public services.”