Agenda item

Cabinet:

a)  endorsed this report; and

b)  recommended that Full Council

·         asks officers to share the general feedback received from young people during the Task & Finish Group’s work with local authorities and educational providers so they can take this into account when providing their services.

·         asks officers to write to village colleges in South Cambridgeshire to offer the opportunity to present to them on the elections process and ask if we can further support their curriculum.

·         notes the successful youth engagement programme currently run by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service and supports the provision of appropriate coaching to enable officers in other priority areas such as housing and local business to find ways of similarly involving young people.

·         Asks officers to investigate the feasibility of holding, within the next 12 months, a scheduled meeting of the Climate and Environment Advisory Committee at a local educational establishment, to which students and other young people should be invited.

·         Asks The Leader to write a letter to the Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority highlighting the feedback from young people on the limitations of public transport and urging him to take into account their views when developing proposals for bus franchising.

·         invites young people, including from the groups approached as part of the Task & Finish exercise (Appendix 1), to contribute evidence to officers involved in developing a new Equality Policy embracing generational differences.

·         encourages all Members of South Cambridgeshire District Council to commit to engaging with young people and representative organisations in their wards by establishing regular visits to local schools, colleges, youth clubs and other locations as appropriate.

Councillor Bill Handley, Lead Cabinet Member for Communities, introduced the report and moved a revised set of recommendations. In so doing, the Councillor recognised the importance of youth engagement and thanked the members of the Task and Finish Group for all their work.

Councillor Stephen Drew, made the following comments on behalf of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee:

·       It was often considered difficult for local authorities to fully engage with the public, particularly so with certain hard to reach groups, though the Council had taken steps in the past to improve on this.

·       It was felt that while young people represented a significant portion of the population, and the portion that would be impact by decisions for the longest time, generally, did not engage with the Council in the same way adults did.

·       During the work of the Task and Finish Group it was found that the Council was already acting in some of the most effective ways, including engagement within the planning service.

·       It was noted that the young people spoken to by the Task and Finish Group appreciated that not everything put forward could be acted upon but appreciated that their comments would be considered, and an effort was being made.

·       It was advised that the Task and Finish Group had engaged with local secondary schools and colleges, though had encountered difficulties when engaging local employers.

·       Comment was made that the work initiated by the Task and Finish Group should continue in the coming years, to make engagement with young people central to the Council’s business.

The recommendations were seconded by Councillor Henry Batchelor. In so doing, the Councillor commented that greater engagement with young people would allow for an easier transition into elected Member.

Cabinet Members raised the following points during consideration of the report:

·       The Task and Finish Group Members were thanked for their work and contributions.

·       It was noted that young people were not afraid of expressing their views, which were often more forward-looking.

·       A request was made for the Foamex Boards included at Appendix 4 to the report to be made available to Members.

Other Members in attendance raised the following points during consideration of the report:

·       It was noted that Cambridgeshire County Council’s Corporate Parenting Sub-Committee invited children in care to attend and their contributions were consistently thoughtful, engaged and insightful.

·       Comment was made that young people had strong voices and needed a vehicle in place for these to be heard.

·       In was noted that the report would be considered at the meeting of Council on 5 October 2023 and it was hoped that the work of the Task and Finish Group was continued past that point.

Cabinet:

a)    endorsed this report; and

b)    recommended that Full Council:

·       asks instructs officers to share the general feedback received from young people during the Task & Finish Group’s work with local authorities and educational providers so they can take this into account when providing their services.

·       asks officers to write to village colleges in South Cambridgeshire to offer the opportunity to present to them on the elections process and ask if we can further support their curriculum.

·       notes the successful youth engagement programme currently run by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service and supports the provision of appropriate coaching to enable officers in other priority areas such as housing and local business to find ways of similarly involving young people.

·       Asks Instructs officers to investigate the feasibility of holding, within the next 12 months, a scheduled meeting of the Climate and Environment Advisory Committee at a local educational establishment, to which students and other young people should be invited.

·       Asks The Leader officers to write a letter to the Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority highlighting the feedback from young people on the limitations of public transport and urging him to take into account their views when developing proposals for bus franchising.

·       invites young people, including from the groups approached as part of the Task & Finish exercise (Appendix 1), to contribute evidence to officers involved in developing a new Equality Policy embracing generational differences.

·       encourages all Members of South Cambridgeshire District Council to commit to engaging with young people and representative organisations in their wards by establishing regular visits to local schools, colleges, youth clubs and other locations as appropriate. In the longer term, a more structured form of dialogue might be appropriate.