Louise Nousratpour, Equalities Reporter
Wednesday November 24, 2010
The Morning Star
CAMPAIGNERS warned yesterday that the government's failure to ring-fence funding for teenage pregnancy services will reverse the success of recent years which has seen a downward trend in under-age conceptions.
Latest figures show that teenage pregnancy in England and Wales has dropped to its lowest level for more than a decade, with the number of pregnant under-16s reduced by 7.5 per cent year-on-year from 8,200 to 7,586.
Family planning campaigners hailed the figures - released by the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday - as evidence that the previous Labour government's teenage pregnancy strategy was working.
But Con-Dem ministers have decided not to renew funding for the strategy once its 10-year period expires next month.
The teenage pregnancy independent advisory group (TPIAG), which monitors local authorities' progress in addressing the issue, will also be abolished in December.
Instead councils will be given an early intervention grant made up of funds formerly allocated for tackling issues affecting children and young people.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Education insisted today that this would give councils "freedom" to spend the money as they see fit.
But TPIAG director chairwoman Gill Frances warned that councils facing budget cuts were already preparing to axe teenage pregnancy services.
She added that if councils "take their eye off the ball their teenage pregnancy rates will go up."
Family Planning Association director Natika Halil said a continued financial commitment by the government to the work of the teenage pregnancy strategy was "essential if we're to keep the numbers on a downward trend."
Despite the latest fall in teenage pregancies, Britain still has one of the highest rates in Europe.
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