26/09/2011 - Permalink

Local Democracy Month in Shropshire

Related topics: Democracy

Young people, councillors, council staff and Members of Parliament across Shropshire will join together in October to celebrate Local Democracy Month (LDM). 

This is the second year that Shropshire Council has extended the international Local Democracy Week (Monday 10 October to Sunday 16 October 2011) event in the county to include the whole of the month, following its success in 2010. 

The initiative in Shropshire aims to help more young people get involved in local decision-making, including offering opportunities to find out more about the council, what it does and how it works with its partners. 

To mark the month, Shropshire Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs), with support from Shropshire Council’s customer insight team, are organising three fun question time events for young people across the county at: 

  • Sir John Talbot’s School, Whitchurch, on Thursday 6 October
  • Shirehall Council Chamber, Shrewsbury, on Wednesday 12 October
  • Ludlow College, on Thursday 20 October 

All three events take place from 5.30pm to 9pm. Young people aged between 11- and 18-years-old are invited to come along for the chance to put their questions to a panel of councillors, council officers, MPs and service providers in Shropshire.  The panels will be chaired by MYPs. 

Before the panel sits down to take questions, young people will also have the opportunity to vote on topical issues and take part in smaller discussions. 

Questions can be on any topic which affects young people, from job opportunities and transport, to smoking, drugs, and alcohol. 

MYPs and the Speak Out Group are currently visiting schools and colleges to invite young people to the question time events, share information on getting involved in local democracy and to encourage young people to stand in forthcoming MYP elections. 

Councillor Aggie Caesar-Homden, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for education and skills, said:

“Local Democracy Month places the focus on how we want young people to share their views on what happens, both within and beyond their local community. 

“MYPs are democratically elected by young people to represent them locally, regionally and nationally.  They work extremely hard; I am very proud of their achievements since the elections were first held more than a decade ago, and we would encourage more young people to influence policies on a range of issues. 

“I am really looking forward to taking part in Local Democracy Month again this year and helping young people to express their ideas and suggestions, and encouraging them to have their voices heard.

“Whilst this is the second year we have celebrated Local Democracy Month, Local Democracy Week has been marked in the county since 2004. 

“Young people do not have to stand up in front of the panel at the question time events to bring their question forward or raise an issue that affects them.  Questions can be asked through the MYPs, earlier smaller discussions in the evening and the Shropshire Youth Facebook page.  There are a range of ways to have your say.  The events will be lively and interesting and I would urge as many young people to get involved as possible.”

To find out more go to www.shropshireyouth.com, call the customer insight team on 01743 210415 or email dawn.lewis@shropshire.gov.uk 

Alternatively, young people can visit the Shropshire Youth Facebook page at www.facebook.com/shropshireyouth for more details or to post questions on the wall. 

More information on European Local Democracy Week is available here: http://www.coe.int/t/congress/demoweek/default_en.asp

The Speak Out (SO) Group meets regularly to discuss young people’s issues, take part in meetings with councillors, as well as support the MYPs to run events for young people.