Issue - meetings
Establishing a Youth Council
Meeting: 26/04/2012 - Council (Item 102)
From Councillor Tumi Hawkins to the Leader of Council
“The Council took a decision to open nominations for election to the South Cambs Youth Council, a big decision when all things are considered. Members only found out about this from the press release of 13 April 2012, as there was no previous briefing or notification. It therefore puts us in a difficult situation of being unable to answer questions about it from our residents or general public. Can the Leader please tell us why Members were not previously briefed or informed about this major step, and how it intends to ensure that this lapse does not occur again?”
Minutes:
“The Council took a decision to open nominations for election to the South Cambs Youth Council, a big decision when all things are considered. Members only found out about this from the press release of 13 April 2012, as there was no previous briefing or notification. It therefore puts us in a difficult situation of being unable to answer questions about it from our residents or general public. Can the Leader please tell us why Members were not previously briefed or informed about this major step, and how it intends to ensure that this lapse does not occur again?”
The Leader referred the question to Councillor Sue Ellington, Member Development Champion, under whose portfolio the Youth Council sat. Councillor Ellington provided the timeline for the Youth Council establishment since it was first published in mid-August 2011, and referred to the action plan approved by Cabinet in September 2011 which set out that the terms of reference and elections process would be developed by the Youth Councillors in the summer of 2012.
In response to Councillor Hawkins’ supplementary question of where further information could be found, Councillor Ellington reiterated that the process had been published in autumn 2011 and Cabinet had agreed that the Youth Councillors would develop their own processes to ensure that the Youth Council fully represented their needs and aims.
Meeting: 14/09/2011 - Weekly Bulletin (Item 9.)
Establishing a Youth Council
Cabinet AGREED to establish South Cambridgeshire District Youth Council from September 2012; andto adopt the Action Plan at Appendix A of the report to Cabinet.
Cabinet decisions were published on Friday 9 September 2011and therefore the Democratic Services Section must be notified of any call in by 5pm on Friday 16 September 2011. All Cabinet decisions not called in by this date may be implemented on Monday 19 September 2011
Meeting: 08/09/2011 - Cabinet (Item 19)
19 Establishing a Youth Council 
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Additional documents:
Decision:
Cabinet AGREED to
(a) establish South Cambridgeshire District Youth Council from September 2012; and
(b) to adopt the Action Plan at Appendix A of the report to Cabinet.
Minutes:
Councillor Sue Ellington, Champion for Member Development, presented proposals to establish a Youth Council, demonstrating the Council’s commitment to giving young people in South Cambridgeshire the opportunity to help create communities. A Shadow Youth Council would operate from January 2012, considering how the full Youth Council would function, including the elections process, its budget requirements, administration and reporting lines. The Youth Council would be promoted through the Village Colleges, South Cambs magazine and the Youth Bus, and Councillor Ellington assured members that young people who were educated outside the District, such as at Bottisham Village College, Trumpington Meadows and sixth forms within Cambridge, would be able to be involved.
Members welcomed the proposals, but asked that the number of meetings be reviewed as there could be a risk that the enthusiasm of participants could diminish if the full Youth Council met only twice annually. Youth councillors would also be expected to set out their own budget proposals and present them to Cabinet as part of the annual budget cycle.
Councillor Ellington had been inviting young people, via village colleges and secondary schools, to a Local Democracy Week Open Day on 13 October 2011.
Cabinet AGREED to
(a) establish South Cambridgeshire Youth Council from September 2012; and
(b) to adopt the Action Plan at Appendix A of the report to Cabinet.