Young leaders visit Town Hall

10.57.51pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 19th Feb 2007

Cllr Eaton (in stripes) meets the next generation of leaders

A group of young people visited the Town Hall on Friday February 16 to meet Councillors and take part in a mock Development Committee. Organised by the Davenant Centre, the young people were participating in a leadership programme and learning about local democracy.

The young people were joined by Councillors from the Liberal Democrats and Respect for the final Committee decision where the roles of the Councillors, local residents, environmental campaigners and the developers were acted out. After watching the Committee proceedings, Libdem leader Cllr Stephanie Eaton said "The level of passionate debate is exactly what we experience in the Council chamber. I was very impressed at the way the group came to an understanding of the complex issues around planning". All the Councillors present agreed that the group were ready for public service, and urged the young people to retain their interest in local democracy.

The Vote!

The vote was a close one but went in favour of the development. The provision of local housing and employment were the factors that outweighed the impact on the environment and on heritage.