City Council goes back to school
Winchester City Council has been giving young people in the District a chance to find out more about local democracy. The Bring Your Council to School programme has seen councillors and officers from the City Council visiting schools across the District to speak to students about the issues involved in delivering local services.
The unexpected increase in turnout for the recent Local and Parliamentary Elections was due, in part, to a surge in the number of young voters. The success of the District’s Youth Council – Youth of Winchester – has also shown that there is an increased interest in local democracy among young people.
The Bring Your Council to School programme seeks to help young people understand the processes of local government and explain how they can become actively involved in influencing local decision making.
During the Council’s visit to each school, students are given the chance to speak to councillors and officers, and listen to presentations explaining what goes into delivering local services. There’s also an opportunity for students to ask questions about local democracy and discuss the issues that affect local government.
Back in March, the Council visited Swanmore College and Osborne School. During May, the programme will see the City Council visiting King’s School in Winchester and Perins School in Alresford.
Penny Parkinson, a teacher at Osborne School in Winchester said, “The students at Osborne really enjoyed having the councillors come into our classroom to listen to their views on some local issues. One student was given excellent advice by the councillors on the best way to get a playground installed near his home.”
SarahKate Abercrombie, the City Council’s Community Wellbeing Officer, added: “It’s clear from our work with the Youth Council and local schools that young people in Winchester take a keen interest in local democracy. We want to find out the local issues that matter to them while helping them to understand how they can get involved in shaping their local communities.”
To find out more about Winchester City Council's Bring Your Council to School programme, please contact SarahKate Abercrombie on 01962 848 497 or sabercrombie@winchester.gov.uk