ANDY Roberts (Letters, Thursday, January 13) defended the Conservative party's record on youth provision in Worcester.

Councillor Roberts lists a few more activities that take place in the facility known as the City Youth House, but fails to explain the crucial issue of why our Worcester City-based youth facilities are closed most of the time.

Some £250,000 was put into the budget to help alleviate the gaps in provision - as required by the county Youth Service - but this was instead diverted to the voluntary sector.

In his letter, Coun Roberts made a request that I should work with him to improve the facilities and provisions for our young people. Since writing his letter, Coun Roberts has been appointed as Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Education, which includes all youth issues.

I offer him my congratulations on this new appointment. With regard to the request for assistance, he will remember that in February 2004 Dr George Lord, Leader of the Council, assured me that there was to be a cross-party working group set up to agree how the extra monies would be used to achieve improvements for our young people.

This working group was never established due to the political dogma of his predecessor.

So I look forward to taking up the invitation to help, as clearly written by Coun Roberts, and to join the new working party.

This should result in our youth buildings being used to their maximum potential by our young people.

JOHN BUCKLEY,

County Councillor & Chairman of Worcester Youth Strategy Group