West End Letters: After School Services

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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 1 August 2008

Providing services is not enough

• SERVICES! Apparently, when these are provided then all will be well in the community, or so it is maintained (After-school services are ‘worst in capital’, July 25).
But is this the case? According to Karen Buck MP social cohesion depends upon the provision of local services costing substantial amounts of council taxpayers’ cash into the bargain!
These services are the solution to knife crime, obesity etc. What absolute tosh! We really are in a bad way when substantial amounts of taxpayers’ money is diverted from more useful purposes to fend off possible anti-social behaviour. Is it asking too much to expect good behaviour even when “amusements” are not readily available?
In our area of North Kensington, Peabody estate, large amounts of cash have indeed been spent on upgrading play areas etc only for these to be abused by local youths who, it is said, have “nothing to do”.
Throwing money at the problem only succeeds in exacerbating it. What is required is for the culture of discipline to be inculcated into those who carry out acts of unruly behaviour. I am amazed that some parents actually are not aware that their children are on the streets late at night. On many occasions I have seen youngsters boarding buses heading for the West End as late as 10pm. Free transport encourages this, of course. Did someone mention the lack of services? What about free travel, free entry to sporting venues and other places of interest?
The more you get for “free” the more you want. It would also appear some parents are being forced to give up their jobs to look after their children. Why?
Can some children not be trusted with behaving responsibly after school?
Is it any wonder we have lost the spirit of self-reliance and entrepreneurialism? Schools must now, it appears, provide a “menu of study support and enrichment activities”.
Can someone define what is actually meant by this gobbledegook?
Perhaps the problem in social disorder lies in the fact that youngsters both at school and college, have too much free time on their hands.
I WALKER
Dalgarno Gardens, W10

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld.
Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number.
Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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