Agenda and minutes

In the absence of the Chair and Vice-Chair, it was

RESOLVED: That Cllr Fraser be elected to chair the meeting.

At this point Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on this agenda.

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.  The following interests were declared:

• Cllr Aspden – a personal interest in the business generally, as a member of the National Union of Teachers.
• Cllr Fraser – a personal interest in agenda item 4 (Myplace – Application for Lottery Funding), as a member of the Club and Institute Union.
• Cllr Vassie – a personal interest in the business generally, as the father of three children attending schools in the City of York area.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 23rd April 2008.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the last meeting of the Working Group, held on 23 April 2008, be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Working Group’s remit can do so. Anyone who wishes to register or requires further information is requested to contact the Democracy Officer on the contact details listed at the foot of this agenda. The deadline for registering is 9^th July 2008 at 5pm.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Cllr Alexander, who was present at the meeting as the Young People’s Champion, had requested to speak in relation to agenda item 6 (UK Youth Parliament).  The Chair invited him to make his comments when that item was under consideration.

This report provides Members with information on the Government’s recently announced initiative to provide capital investment to improve facilities for young people. Following an initial consultation an application for funding will be submitted. Members are invited to look at the options outlined in the report. No decisions are required but Members comments are invited.

Members considered a report which informed them of the Government’s recently announced initiative, ‘Myplace’, to provide capital investment to improve facilities for young people.

Myplace would distribute £190m of Government capital investment over the next three years, though grants of between £1m and £5m.  It would be administered by The Big Lottery Fund on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), with a deadline of 30 September for the first funding round.  Criteria for the funding were set out in paragraph 7 of the report.

In York, consultation with third sector young people’s groups had identified a groundswell of support to proceed with an application in the first round of bids.  York CVS were willing to head the project, and their involvement would secure an extra £50k if the bid was successful. The Assistant Director for Partnerships and Early Intervention was leading the Council’s contribution.  Officers believed that the ideal bid would be for capital funds to radically enhance a run-down city centre property.  They were currently examining several possibilities, including those listed in paragraph 13 of the report, although some of these had been eliminated since the report was written.  Sites still under consideration included Hungate and the Railway Institute.

In discussing the proposals, Members welcomed the opportunity to gain funding for young people’s facilities and the suggested focus of investment outlined in paragraph 8 of the report.  They also welcomed the potential for mobile facilities to be part of the bid and asked whether this could include transport to enable those living in outlying parts of the City or in other wards to access the chosen site. 

RESOLVED: (i)         That the Executive be recommended to support the proposal to make a bid to the Myplace fund and note the Group’s comments as summarised above.¹

REASON:      To enhance the facilities for young people’s activities in the City.

(ii)               That, in developing the bid, Officers be advised to:²

·        carry out a wide consultation, especially with young people’s organisations, on the content of the bid and the potential location of the proposed facility;

·        propose two or three alternative sites as part of the consultation with young people;

·        ensure that the Council develops and maintains partnerships with other organisations to help prepare and support the bid.

REASON:      So that young people are properly consulted on the nature and location of the proposed facility and so that all relevant organisations can be fully involved in developing the bid.

This report sets out the key aims of the 11 Million Takeover Day, and how the day will be planned in York. The Young People’s Working Group are asked to consider the report for information, comment upon the proposals and recommend that the Executive support the event.

Members considered a report which outlined the key aims of the 11 Million Takeover Day and how this would be planned in York to ensure the full involvement of children and young people.

Friday 7^th November had been designated ’11 Million Takeover Day’, when the 11 million children and young people in England would be invited to ‘take over’ businesses, schools and councils, and be consultants to organisations that provided services to children.  Building on lessons learned from the first Takeover Day, in November 2007, a number of ways were being developed to involve children and young people in the event, which would take place across the week including 7 November.  These included shadowing the Executive Member for Children’s Services for a day (22 October) and a key-note conference for Primary Schools Councils, as well as inviting feedback from children and young people as service users.  The aim was to enable young people to take an active role in events, rather than just shadowing.

Members noted that the next meeting of the Working Group was on 22 October, which provided an opportunity to involve the young people shadowing the Executive Member in the meeting.  This could include asking them to bring a report for discussion and / or to contribute to the consultation on the Myplace bid.  It was suggested that discussions on the Myplace bid could initially be promoted via schools and / or school councils.  In terms of the ‘Takeover’ events generally, it was agreed that a targeted approach would be needed to reach and engage a more diverse group of young people, beyond those regularly involved in such events.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the proposals be welcomed and that the Executive be recommended to support the event and the activities taking place.¹

REASON:      In the interests of engaging children and young people in the local democratic process and other Council activities.

                        (ii)        That the involvement of young people in the next meeting of the Working Group, on 22 October, be agreed in principle, subject to clarification on how this process will be managed.²

                        (iii)       That consideration be given to seeking young people’s views on the Myplace bid, through the avenues available such as schools and school councils, and bringing them to the meeting on 22 October for discussion with the young people attending that meeting, if the timetable for developing the bid allows.³

REASON:      To enable the Young People’s Working Group to play an appropriate part in the events of 11 Million Takeover Day.

This report considers the role of the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) and the level of support and involvement by the Council. Members are asked to note the options outlined and advise the Executive on the views of the Working Group in relation to future involvement with UKYP.

Members considered a report which looked at the role of the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) and the level of support and involvement that should be provided by the Council.

The UKYP, launched in July 1999, was an independent national charity that worked closely with the Government.  It aimed to give young people aged 11 to 16 a voice in issues affecting them and a chance to be involved in the democratic process and take positive action on issues of concern.  Each local education authority (LEA) in England represented a UKYP constituency, with an allocation of between one and six Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs) apiece.  York had previously been actively involved but the experience had not proved positive.  In 2007, the Involvement Sub-group of the YorOK Board had considered the matter carefully and concluded that representation on the UKYP was not currently a priority.  However, recent correspondence from York’s MP had prompted the need for further debate on this subject.

Members’ comments were invited on the following options:

Option 1 – maintain the decision of the YorOK sub-group not to join the UKYP and instead to prioritise local inclusion, democracy and participation work, subject to reviewing this decision at a later date.

Option 2 – to resume involvement in the UKYP and identify appropriate resources to ensure a positive experience and good outcomes for the MYP and young people in York.

Cllr Alexander, commenting as the Young People’s Champion, spoke in support of Option 2, noting that he had been contacted by schools and by young people interesting in engaging with the UKYP.  He expressed disappointment that York was one of only 10% of authorities not currently involved in the UKYP.

Members commented that there was not sufficient information in the report for a proper decision to be taken at this stage about York’s future involvement. 

RESOLVED: (i)         That a report be brought to the Group’s next meeting, providing further information about the operation and cost implications of the UKYP, including the comparative ‘value for money’ that it provided in terms of involving young people in the democratic process.¹

                        (ii)        That an MYP from a neighbouring authority be invited to attend the meeting to speak to the Group about his / her experiences of the UKYP.²

REASON:      To enable Members to make an informed recommendation regarding York’s future involvement with the UKYP.

This report sets out the plans for consultation on the Children’s and Young People’s Working Plan 2009-12. Members are asked to decide how the Young People’s Working Group will contribute its own views to the consultation process.

Members considered a report which outlined the plans for consultation on the Children and Young People’s Plan for 2009-12, currently being developed for the YorOK Board for publication in April 2009.

The consultation would build upon the work for the 2007 Plan, which had drawn responses from 4,000 children and young people and been acknowledged by the Joint Area Review as ‘thorough and wide-ranging’.  The intention was to move along the continuum from information to consultation to involvement, thus ensuring that the community remained integral to the development of the Plan. 

Key steps in the process included establishment of an ‘Editorial’ sub-group to oversee the development and ‘shadow reference’ groups of children and young people to support development and production of the Plan.  A common consultation document drafted by the ‘Reference’ group was due to be considered by the YorOK Board on 16 July, prior to its release to initiate the consultation process.

Members commented that:

• The report contained too many acronyms, and a glossary was required;
• A special point should be made of engaging young people from minority communities and groups in the consultation;
• Account should be taken of the need to ensure transport to enable physical access to facilities for young people across the City of York area.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the developments outlined in the report be noted, with Members’ comments as summarised above.

                        (ii)        that a further report be received at a future meeting on the consultation activity conducted.¹

REASON:      To keep the Young People’s Working Group informed of and involved in development of the Plan for children and young people.