Spending on youth clubs and other services for teenagers has dropped by £428m in the past two years – a fall of 36 per cent, according to new figures.
A former Conservative Children’s Minister, Tim Loughton, described the cuts as “disproportionate” and one expert warned it could lead to a rise in youth crime.
Councils spent £791m in 2012-13, down from more than £1.2bn in 2010-11, according to figures obtained by BBC Radio Four under Freedom of Information legislation.