MP calls for the reopening of Banbridge Youth Resouces Unit

Carla Lockhart MP • March 12, 2024

Banbridge Youth Resource Centre has been closed owing to a number of “serious plumbing issues, most recently caused by a burst pipe, which has resulted in secondary damage to the facility” since mid-December. The Member of Parliament has been pressing over the past month, the Education Authority, to prioritise getting this facility open again so that young people from the area can access the services they previously enjoyed regularly at the centre.

Speaking on the issue, Carla Lockhart MP said, “having been contacted by many young people, I have been pressing for the urgent plumbing and maintenance works to be completed, so the facility can be re-opened in full again. This closure has been running on too long. Young people have been displaced long enough and whilst I understand there are serious plumbing concerns, I believe there needs to be a concerted effort to have the issues resolved and the full fleet of youth provision up and running again.

As we move into the brighter evenings, young people will want to socialise and enjoy each other's company in surroundings they enjoy and feel safe in. The Youth and Resource Centre has always a good youth offering and is a place where many go daily. Having made contact with the Education Authority, I am concerned that there is still no date for re-opening. I have asked for an on-site meeting to view the damage and to get a handle on when we can expect things to resume in the Centre. Additionally, I have obtained a commitment that every effort will be made locally to source other suitable venues for the youth programmes that normally take place in the Centre.

I will keep pressing until this matter is resolved. I have also written to the Minister of Education and asked that he ensure this is prioritised and that the Centre receives the resources it requires to re-open in full.”

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