A SPECIAL investigation into the redundancies of 17 youth workers begins today.

Last month Kirklees Council’s Cabinet cut £2.66m from this year’s Children and Young People’s Service budget to help cope with the public spending squeeze. The move meant 17 youth workers from the Connexions Young People Service and the Young Offenders’ Team were due to lose their jobs.

The staff work with 300 vulnerable teenagers at risk of committing suicide, becoming pregnant, committing crimes or becoming prostitutes.

But now the council’s Scrutiny Panel has agreed to investigate the decision to make the workers redundant.

The Children and Young People Scrutiny Sub-Group was meeting today at 11am at Huddersfield Town Hall.

The six-strong panel will hear from backbench councillors opposed to the cut, Kirklees officers and members of the ruling Cabinet.