New Youth Council gives influence and power to the young

3.30.05pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 24th Jan 2007

Young people in Camden are to set up a Youth Council with real influence over decisions that affect them, under an initiative launched by Camden's Lib Dem-led administration last weekend.

A steering group of 15 young people are to set up a Youth Council - which could include the position of Young Mayor - with help and funding from Camden's Youth and Connexions Service. The Youth Council will be developed to slot into Camden's existing decision-making structures, giving it direct influence and control over specific issues.

The final design of the Council, its role, constitution and decision-making powers will be shaped by young people themselves. John Bryant, Camden Council's Executive Member for Children, explained:

"We did not want to be too prescriptive as politicians on what form the Youth Council took, and although we have advanced the idea of a Young Mayor, it will be up to the Youth Council when constituted to decide whether they want to have this post created or not. That reflects our Liberal Democrat approach to 'bottom up' decision-making and being prepared to listen to what people have to say rather than presuming we have all the answers."

The steering group was formed at a Youth Council Conference held last Saturday at Haverstock School. Speaking at the conference, Cllr Bryant made public for the first time the extent of the financial commitment of Camden Council to support the Youth Council initiative. The Council has already earmarked £50,000 in the 2007/08 budget for developing the Youth Council and a further £70,000 is being set aside for Local Area Agreement (LAA) funding in the same year. This will make sure that Camden has available the average level of funding being spent by other London boroughs who have already established Youth Councils.

Saturday's conference was also addressed by Cllr Jill Fraser, Camden's first Lib Dem Mayor, on the Mayoral theme of celebrating the achievement of young people, and by 24-year-old Lib Dem Cllr Ben Rawlings, Executive member for Community Safety, who spoke about his role as Vice Chair of the National Youth Council.

Cllr Bryant added: "The Youth Council is about getting young people genuinely involved in local democracy and the decision making process. It is not only about giving them their 'say', but also giving them real powers to improve their lives and those of their peers. If we are to improve services and engage with young people, we need to learn from the young people themselves."