Follow up about issues previously discussed at community council.
Minutes:
The chair introduced Ben and Martin from the Walworth Youth Community Council. The youth community council had been working with the main community council and with the East Street market traders to follow up on issues raised by young people. This was part of young people having more of a say in how services were going to be delivered.
Ben and Martin informed the meeting that the Youth Community Council had been in existence for one year and that its members ranged in age from 13-19. They came from all over the area and met every two weeks to discuss local issues. Last year they had organised several events and activities, e.g. a boat-trip called ‘postcodes united’ attended by more than 100 young people. They had also produced a video documentary about how young people on estates felt about where they lived. Currently, they were working on a petition about betting shops on Walworth Road, and on organising a tea party event to which all members of the community were invited.
In answer to questions from the floor, Ben and Martin responded that their film had been shown at a Youth Community Council meeting, and that they were planning to show it at other meetings. They explained that the petition was there to gauge opinions about betting shops, and asked whether TRAs could help publicise it. There were several offers of help with the petition from the floor. Ben and Martin went on to explain that the Youth Community Council did not have its own website, and was required to go through the council’s communications department. Asked what the Youth Community Council could do to prevent gun and knife crime and gangs in the area, they responded that the education system and families all had to work together, and that families had a big role to play.
The chair thanked the representatives of Walworth Youth Community Council for attending and offered councillors’ help with the petition. He said that he would like to see 100 new members of the Youth Community Council by this time next year.
A question was raised about the future of the market traders in the area.
ACTION: Officers to provide an update on the situation around the markets in the area.
A complaint was raised that some shops on Walworth Road sold alcohol, late at night, to underage young people who consumed it in front of and inside the shops. The chair said this information would be passed on to the council’s licensing department.
ACTION: Licensing department to provide feedback about the situation regarding alleged sale of alcohol to underage customers on Walworth Road.