The voice of youth is heard by council

Oct 4 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

YOUNG peoples’ representatives in Northumberland have set out what they see as the top youth priorities for the county’s new super council.

Senior county councillors and officers have been told what young people see as the key issues – and what they would like in terms of improved services and facilities – when the unitary Northumberland Council takes over in April.

Issues such as protection of the environment, work to reduce crime and more things for young people to do in their spare time were among the priorities spelled out at a special meeting where teenagers had their say.

Yesterday county councillors and officers promised to ensure that the ideas and opinions expressed at the session will be used to inform the development of services for young citizens when the all-purpose authority comes into being.

The sounding exercise involved members of the Northumberland Youth Cabinet – headed by the county’s Young Leader Braden Davy – and the youth forum from King Edward VI School, Morpeth, Northumberland.

It featured highlights from the Youth Cabinet’s work, and a discussion on key youth issues, presented as a series of DVDs commissioned by the children’s services department.

Two years ago David Yearnshire, 15, from Bedlington High School was elected as Northumberland’s first Young Leader in a move aimed at getting young people more involved in the democratic process.

He was succeeded last year by Braden, now 16, from Hirst High School in Ashington, who was elected by his peers following a text and online poll.

Yesterday Coun Simon Reed, executive member for children’s services, said: “The meeting was extremely useful in giving members a deeper understanding of what is important to our young citizens. We had a very interesting discussion about how we can better meet the needs of young people and children.

“We will be making sure that what young people have told us is used to directly inform the development of policy and services for the new Northumberland Council. I hope to see the voice of young people built in to our decision-making even more in the future.”

Braden said: “It was great that the council held a meeting to talk to young people and hear about what is important to us. It was very interesting to hear what councillors had to say as well.”