ASSURANCES have been given over the future of an award-winning Inverclyde youth employment programme following a £6,000 funding cut.

Council officials say the successful Recruit scheme will still be delivered to a high standard despite slashing the amount of money spent on it by around 40 per cent.

The comments were echoed by local authority leader Stephen McCabe, whose own children have taken part in the programme over the years.

The council is having to tighten its belt over the next two years to help plug a £10 million funding gap and the employability scheme, which has helped more than 100 school leavers in some of the Inverclyde’s most deprived areas into work, is not exempt from the savings drive.

Councillor McCabe said: “I’ve been to eight or nine of the finale dinners and enjoyed them.

“I’ve had two sons and a daughter on the programme.

“Not everybody gets jobs at the end of it but the skills and experience they gain from it is invaluable.

“It’s a superb programme, and we all agree on that, but the reality is we have tough financial decisions to make.

“We have to make savings and this would be something that would go into the budget process.

“I think we can still deliver a valuable programme and make £6,000 of savings.

“We’re not talking about losing the initiative. it’s an important project and I have every faith in Robert Lamb and his team to continue to deliver it.”

The Recruit has helped raise over £100,000 for charity since it launched in 2007, mainly for Ardgowan Hospice.

Councillor Natasha Murphy, a former participant and Inverclyde’s young people’s champion, said: “I was a Recruit myself and I would rather we didn’t reduce funding for it.

“But the way that it’s going to be done won’t hinder the programme.”

Members on the education and communities committee unanimously agreed to the savings.

Cuts of £2,000 will be made to the budgets for the annual outdoor teambuilding event, Recruit-branded kit and the finale dinner.

Councillor Tommy McVey said: “It’s not ideal, but if you can deliver it then so be it.

“It’s an excellent programme that we must protect.”
Provost Martin Brennan raised concerns about the impact the cuts would have.

But Ruth Binks, the council’s head of education, said: “The intention is to broadly keep it the same.”

The plans are subject to final approval as part of the council’s budget process.