Government awards Stoke-on-Trent up to £1.3 million to create new youth hubs

Stoke-on-Trent could receive up to £1.3 million to create two youth hubs offering mental health, skills, employment and mentoring support.

Stoke-on-Trent has secured up to £1.3 million in Government funding to strengthen opportunities for young people.

The funding will see up to two Young Futures Hubs created in the city - bringing together mental health and wellbeing support, skills and training, and help finding jobs. The hubs will also provide specialist support for young people at risk of crime and exploitation.

Stoke-on-Trent is one of 42 areas selected for the national programme. The city will initially receive up to £100,000 to draw up detailed plan. Young people will be involved in drawing up proposals ahead of a planned start date of April 2027.

The city could then receive up to £600,000 a year to deliver two hubs in 2027/28 and 2028/29, subject to performance.

The hubs will provide open-access physical and digital spaces for young people aged 10 to 18, extending up to age 25 for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Alongside access to support services, young people will be able to take part in sports and creative activities, build trusted relationships with youth workers and access targeted help including mentoring and counselling.

The hubs will build on work already under way through Stoke-on-Trent’s Local Youth Transformation pilot and complement existing Family Hubs, Community Lounges and youth provision across the city.

The Young Futures Hub model is already being delivered in eight early adopter areas. In Manchester, where a hub has been operating since April 2026, young people can access physical activity, informal education, mental health support, enterprise schemes and social activities across a network of local venues.

Councillor Sarah Jane Colclough, cabinet member for children’s services at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “This is great news for Stoke-on-Trent and, most importantly, for young people in our city

“Young people need safe places to go, positive things to do and people they can trust and talk to. They also need the right support when they are struggling with their mental health, looking for work or facing other challenges in their lives.

“We want young people in Stoke-on-Trent to have the opportunities and support they need to thrive and fulfil their potential.

“We already have a huge amount of good work happening across the city. This funding will help us build on that, bring services together and, importantly, work with young people themselves to make sure the new hubs provide the support and opportunities they need.”

The programme forms part of the Government’s National Youth Strategy, Youth Matters, which was launched in December 2025 and co-produced with 14,000 young people.

Young people will play a central role in shaping how the hubs operate, with planning, review and co-creation taking place between now and March 2027.