TAVISTOCK Youth Café is to close after eight years' work.

The youth café's board of directors reluctantly took the decision last week when it became clear there was no viable alternative. The dilapidated building just off Pixon?Lane is to be demolished shortly.

The decision means Young Carers, Rethink — a mental health group – Youth Café Plus and other groups will now no longer be able to use the facility, as well as the Zephyr Project, a successful music project for young people.

The youth café has helped to turn around the lives of many vulnerable young people and provide a safe environment for youth work.

As reported in the Times recently, the building is in a very bad state of repair and during the recent heavy rain, water poured in through the roof and door, causing a session to be abandoned.

Mandy Ewings, chairman of the youth café board of directors, said it was frustrating that there was an opportunity to develop the youth café in refurbished accommodation very close to its current site. But because the café would no longer have its own building, costs of renting would quadruple the current outlay.

She said: 'We are not unrealistic. We know that there are major cuts to be made to public spending.

'We are not even asking for money as such — we simply need some of the costs to be underwritten. We think that we are embracing the vision of the Big Society, where communities decide what services are important and raise money to support them.

'However, it takes time and some initial support to achieve it and time is what we do not have.'

Six years ago, former Tavistock county councillor Roy Connolly campaigned and secured £250,000 for youth provision in Tavistock from the sale of Exeter International Aiport.

Mrs Ewings said: 'We know that the £250,000 was not targeted specifically on the youth café, but we hoped that we would be able to play our part in a partnership that secured quality youth provision for Tavistock in the future.

'One of the difficulties that we faced has been in having a dialogue with Devon County Council. Indeed, the summary withdrawal of Devon Youth Service from the partnership has contributed to this crisis.'

Mrs Ewings said an attempt was made to arrange a meeting last October with the then cabinet member with responsibility for youth services, but the café board was told there was little point in a meeting as a timetable for consultation over the use for youth work of another county council building in Tavistock was in place — work could begin in the spring of 2013 with the building ready for use in October/November of this year.

'None of this has materialised. When Geoffrey Cox MP interceded at our request, he was only able to report matters were "on hold".'

Youth café director Alan Wroath said: 'We shall try to find ways of maintaining some of the work we do without a base, but we are worried about the future of youth work in Tavistock.

'We are worried about the impact of this closure on our community. Most of all we are worried about the young people, especially the vulnerable and disadvantaged, for whom there will no longer be provision at the youth café.'

A county council spokesman said it still intends to invest £250,000 from the sale of Exeter Airport, to support services for young people in Tavistock. 

He said: 'The funding is still available and we are committed to ensuring that a modernised youth service continues in the town. 

'We are reviewing all of our youth service across Devon to make sure it properly focuses on those in greatest need and delivers the best possible value for money.   

'It's clear that our current services need to change if we're to continue meeting our statutory duties and serve communities well with the resources available.  

'Changes in Government policy and a need to focus more on helping young people in most need means that we have to look again at the way these services are currently delivered. 

'We want to enable support to communities and young people through joint working arrangements where possible, working with communities and appropriate voluntary sector organisations in the delivery of those services.'

Cllr Debo Sellis, Tavistock's county councillor, said: 'We knew the youth café was falling apart, and this is why they were given the opportunity to use the big area at the Molly Owen Centre. This was only going to be temporary, until we can get a multi-functional building at Abbey Rise, and I feel very strongly that the young people should have their own input into those plans.

'I feel very strongly as a market town we do need decent youth provision and I have been trying to safeguard future provision for youth in Tavistock.'