SWINDON Council is bracing itself for another failure after a damning internal report on its youth service.

The report, set to go before councillors on Monday's scrutiny commission best value board, says the service, "lacks overall vision and purpose," and warns, "as it operates at present the service has much work to do to prepare for its Ofsted inspection".

The report criticises the service for introducing good ideas such as a bus to meet youngsters in their environment, but then failing to use it. It is labelled a "reactive rather than strategically planned service".

It says that staff and young people have poor access to computers, and that some areas of the service have not been able to modernise themselves in order to meet the changing needs of young people.

Vandalism and graffiti are on the increase and the report admits the service is powerless to keep it at bay within the constraints of the budget. It even says the organisation is so bad that youth centres do not take account of school holidays when planning opening hours.

The department is due to be inspected by Government inspectors Ofsted next year.

Failing another Govern-ment inspection will be a hammer blow to a council humiliated by reports that slated its social services and education departments.

Councillor Jim D'Avila (Moredon, Lab) said the council must improve its standards and listen to the report but refused to comment further because he was yet to read it.

Councillor Nick Martin (Con, Shaw and Nine Elms), the chair of the best value board said: "The Ofsted report was dreadful and it is still the same officers and councillors in charge and the same problems it brought out are now being shown in this report."

Swindon Youth Council chairman Daniel Rose hit out at the youth service in October last year for lacking vision, causing low morale and driving away staff some of the areas that have been highlighted in the critical report.

He said today: "I am not surprised by the report, the youth service suffers from top heavy management and it is the young people who are missing out.

"The way the department works is like someone continually patching up an old car trying to get a few more miles out of it. Sooner or later you will have to carry out major repairs."