NORTH Yorkshire teenagers are to benefit from a major county council investment in youth services.

Council education chiefs have agreed to increase its £1.6 million budget on services for 13 to 19-year-olds by £400,000 this year, with access to an extra £200,000 for capital projects.

It is also proposed that the three-year Transforming Youth Work Plan will see an additional £800,000 spent in each of the following two years, bringing the total budget up to Government guidelines for a council the size of North Yorkshire.

The plan marks the first official national framework to cater for young people's needs and will see a major review of practices across the country.

"There are examples of superb work going on with young people throughout North Yorkshire, the plan will look at the best practice, enhance it and make it grow," said Terry Begley, education officer for community learning development. "Social issues affecting young people do exist in North Yorkshire - not to the same scale as in major cities admittedly - but there are pockets of high levels of deprivation in some of our towns, and particular issues in a county as rural and sparsely populated as ours."

North Yorkshire is the largest county in England and has a teenage population of almost 50,000.

"I think young people are entitled to the highest quality services that we can provide," Terry said.

"We need to work out exactly what they need. Why shouldn't they have cafs that look like Central Perk from the TV series Friends if that's what they want. And in a county like ours having mobile facilities - such as an internet bus or a recording studio - is an absolute must. By doing this we are responding to the needs of young people in the 21st Century."

The plan provides a framework for change, highlighting the current problems and seeking to involve young people in youth service provision, which is currently provided by 29 full-time and 600 part-time staff.

Young people will be encouraged to be creative and critical in helping shape future services.

The plan also lists proposals to develop residential and international youth work, sports, work-related learning and reintegration programmes for at-risk groups.

Updated: 09:01 Friday, May 23, 2003