Fiasco of Tory token consultation with youth

5.51.14pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 4th Jul 2006

Liberal Democrats have roundly criticised the Tory led County Council for paying lip service to young people in its plans for the next twelve months.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Allan Witherick, the youngest member of the County Council, commented after last week's council meeting: 'The Corporate Plan includes the lovely sentence 'Young people will be consulted and contribute to, decisions on matters affecting them, and have opportunities to shape services. "Yet there are no key actions or performance targets to back this up.'

Meanwhile the major survey required by the Labour Government, which is estimated to cost nearly £0.1m to local residents, also fails to ask the views of young people except the handful who own their own home already! Surveys are usually completed by 'heads of household' and so get nowhere near people under the age of 25.

Cllr Allan Witherick commented: 'As usual we have nice words from the other parties, a pat on the head, and are then ignored. Is it any surprise that gesture politics of this nature are met by young people giving gestures of their own? We are vilified continually in the press because of the actions of a minority - at least they know that they might get listened to.'

He continued: 'In my role as the Opposition member of the new Hertfordshire Children's Trust Partnership Board I will do my best to ensure that young people have a voice - even when the Tory administration doesn't want to listen.'

ENDS

Contact: Allan Witherick tel: 01727 730838