R4U’s Uttlesford Youth Council initiative gets green light

R4U has announced that its Uttlesford Youth Council has been given the go ahead by Uttlesford District Council.

Uttlesford District Council approved a new programme of youth engagement last week when it gave the green-light to establish the Uttlesford Youth Council. The programme was co-sponsored by R4U councillors who are now part of the cross-party working group that was formed set it up, chaired by Independent Councillor Mark Lemon.

R4U Chair Cllr John Lodge said “The next generation will need to live with the decisions made by the council today, so it is critical that they have a voice right now. We are excited to have conceived and championed the Uttlesford Youth Council initiative. Now that UDC has given the go ahead, we expect the Youth Council to be in place by April. We’d like to thank the Uttlesford Youth Initiative that have provided a grant to get things up and running.

R4U’s John Lodge continued “The needs of younger people are often ignored by local government, but the decisions made by the Council affect their lives every day. Each of Uttlesford’s secondary schools will have 3 councillors on the Youth Council, plus 3 more who live locally but are not at local schools.  They will be self-governing and meet on a regular basis to provide input into a wide range of district council initiatives.  We’ve received very strong support from educators and young people alike. We can’t wait to get started!

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