BIRMINGHAM’S education watchdog committee has launched an inquiry into the impact of youth service cuts on teenagers in response to a huge petition signed by 15,600 youngsters.

Thousands of teenagers have pleaded for the city’s youth centres and services to be protected. It was the first time a petition large enough to trigger a special scrutiny committee hearing had been seen in Birmingham.

The petition, as well as a series of protests by young people, has already prompted the council to find a further £2 million of temporary funding to mitigate a planned £3 million cut in the youth service’s £5.8 million budget.

Service bosses also pledged there were no plans to shut any youth centres this year.

Petition organiser Chloe Grant, from the Pump Youth Centre in Kitts Green, told the committee: “The youth centre is not just somewhere to go, it is part of the family.

“For some young people it is the only stable thing in their lives.

“These centres have a big effect on the community.”