Young people will be winners and losers in a new budget for council services in Bath and North East Somerset.

Disadvantaged children across the area will benefit from free swimming lessons – but a scheme which encourages young people to get involved in democracy has lost out.

At a meeting of B&NES Council's cabinet, the budget for 2010/11 was discussed, with ruling councillors allocating £25,000 to be invested in free swimming for disadvantaged children.

This will be added to contributions of £15,000 from the Amateur Swimming Association and sports centre operator Aquaterra Leisure, making a total of £40,000.

In addition £50,000 has also been allocated for other community youth projects across the district in the Tory-run cabinet's suggested budget.

However, a cut of £19,000 is being made to the Democratic Action for B&NES Youth (DAFBY) project.

DAFBY representative Fred Cotterell spoke against the cuts, urging the cabinet to reconsider. He said: "I am speaking on behalf of young people across B&NES, to express my dissatisfaction with the cabinet's plans for the youth service over the next two financial years.

"Although I accept that some cuts must be made, it is clear that the cabinet is not considering the broader effects that weakening the youth service will have.

"Why the cabinet believes that it can choose to not only remove funding for young people, without so much as trying to involve us in the decision-making process, is beyond me.

"Eliminate the safe spaces young people desperately need and suddenly we are all back on the streets at night, scaring old ladies and filling up the letters pages of tabloids."

Children's services cabinet member Councillor Chris Watt said: "B&NES provides a wide range of services and projects for children and young people, like targeted schemes at our leisure centres and extended services through schools, of which the youth service is just one.

"The council's long-term aspiration is to deliver improved youth provision that targets its efforts on improving the lives of vulnerable young people, and helping community groups to provide positive activities for young people."

The swimming scheme is likely to target children entitled to free school meals but the council has refused to implement a full free swimming programme for all youngsters.

The Government wants all councils to provide free swimming for all children but B&NES says ministers have not provided enough money to make the scheme work.

Mr Watt said: "Providing free swimming for disadvantaged children meets our priority of ensuring that all children in B&NES have best possible chances in life.

"As local government finances become increasingly tight in the coming years, it's vital we target our limited resources at those in greatest need and empowering local communities."

Campaign for Better Transport representative David Redgewell attended the meeting to speak about the importance of public transport.

He also highlighted the need for money to fund regeneration projects. He said: "All the derelict sites need to be sorted out."

Councillor Malcolm Hanney, cabinet member for resources, agreed regeneration was important, and said £150,000 had been allocated for this. The council budget – which will also involve more than 100 job losses and the abandonment of millions of pounds of spending to fund investment in priority services – will be set at a full council meeting next Tuesday.