GOVERNMENT inspectors have attacked Halton's performance in helping the area's youngsters.

The council's vital youth service should be helping provide answers on tough topics like sex, drugs and alcohol. Instead, inspectors found it was failing in management, funding, curriculum and morale.

Greater Merseyside Connexions took over management of the service last year and chief executive Kieran Gordon said improvements had already been made since the March inspection.

But the size of his task was clear from the report. It read: "Unresolved personnel issues, inherited by the Connexions partnership, continue to fester and seriously impede progress.

"The service lacks a unified vision and aspirations for young people."

Mr Gordon said: "It's clearly a failing service and we need to make sure we can bring in the kind of changes that will make it better.

"We should be providing young people with opportunities to enjoy personal development and learning opportunities that they can't normally get in traditional schooling.

"It's a very important service to get right.

"The Connexions Ofsted report in March showed we were doing a good job across Merseyside and my aim is to bring Halton up to that standard."

Mr Gordon appealed to Halton education chiefs to dip their hands into council funds to help make widespread changes to management and services.

But with morale at rock bottom and Mr Gordon admitting there had been a long-term failure to fund the service, the task is a tough one.

In April, youth workers mounted industrial action over pay and conditions and their welfare was called into question by the Ofsted report.

Halton MP Derek Twigg said he would be keeping a close eye on the youth service. "I want to see things turn around in the next 12 months."