The Conference, organised through elected local members of UK Young People’s Parliament, culminated with an ‘all-stars’ Question Time event where panel members from all 3 parties were quizzed by an audience of young people from Sutton and Erdington. Dr. Rob Pocock, representing Labour on the panel, said afterwards, “I was truly stunned by the effort and determination of these young people to get better local facilities into the area.
They gave us all a hard time, but you can only admire the way they put time aside on a Saturday afternoon to get their points across. A group of the audience had even gone out that lunchtime to canvass people’s views in the Town Centre on their campaign for a skate park facility.
They have been fobbed off time and again with letters and false promises and yet far from giving up, they are more and more determined to press their case. I gave an open promise at the meeting that I would work with them to build up the evidence to justify the case. Many bad words get spoken about our young people, but the ones there on Saturday are a real tribute to the next generation. I’ve got no doubt they’ll keep on battling and I’ve pledged them my full support. They are putting together a fully rounded ‘Young People’s Manifesto’ for the area and I will have no hesitation in taking this round to my colleagues on the Council Cabinet and drumming up support for it” Organiser Paul Flemming MYP is also hoping to set up a newly constituted Sutton Coldfield Young People’s Forum. This will give a constitutional basis for the voice of young people in the area, to sustain the campaigning effort in the longer term.
ENDS
Dr Pocock is Labour’s Campaign Manager for the Sutton Coldfield Labour Party.
