Tacy Rickard, of Coombe Vale Road, teignmouth, writes:

The proposed dismantling of the Devon Youth Service would be an act of utter folly.

The youth service provides much more than a means of keeping young people off the streets. And the suggestion that teams of volunteers could replace it does a disservice to the skills and experience of trained youth workers.

Many of the young people using the service have complex social and psychological needs, and the service offers skilled interventions, access to activity based learning, and the opportunity to develop significant relationships with adults which can have lifelong effects.

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