Forty-two new Young Futures Hubs announced for England, from Cornwall to Northumberland

The government has announced that local authorities in England will set up 42 new Young Futures Hubs, bringing mental health support, training and routes into employment, and crime prevention services together in one place for young people. The programme is described as stretching from Cornwall to Northumberland, and builds on eight early adopter hubs that are already running.

The hubs will be open to young people aged 10 to 18, and up to 25 for those with special educational needs and disabilities. Alongside sports, creative activities and trusted youth workers, they are intended to offer support without young people having to repeat their story to a different service each time they visit. Councils involved will also receive help through the Local Youth Transformation programme to train staff and build local partnerships.

The announcement was made by Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. She said: "Last year we spoke to thousands of young people who told us that they needed somewhere to go, something to do, and someone to talk to. That's what these new Young Futures Hubs will give them."

The hubs form part of the National Youth Strategy, Youth Matters, launched in December 2025 and co-produced with 14,000 young people through a "State of the Nation" survey. The survey found many young people had been left without access to safe, supportive environments or a community to belong to, with reliance on online interaction growing in the absence of face-to-face opportunities. The strategy sets out more than £500 million of government investment and a plan to rebuild youth services over the next decade.

To mark the announcement, the new Minister for Young People, Vicky Foxcroft, visited the Manchester Young Futures Hub, which has been operating since April 2026. She said the aim was to ensure that "wherever you grow up in England, you have somewhere to go, something to do, and someone to talk to".

The hubs sit alongside other government schemes, including £132 million for the Every Child Can programme, £22.5 million for the Enrichment Expansion Programme covering up to 400 schools in the most deprived areas of England, and Youth Hubs in more than 360 locations for those aged 16 to 24. Further measures are due to be announced in the coming weeks, including the government's response to a review into young people and work led by Alan Milburn.