Agenda item

Witney Youth Forum - Recommendations

Following the endorsement of the recommendations arising from the Witney Youth Forum by Council on 26 June 2019 the Committee is requested to establish a Working Party/Steering Group in order to take these recommendations forward. County Councillor Laura Price has been invited to attend and make suggestions and assist with the formulation of the WP/SG.

Minutes:

The Committee welcomed County Councillor Laura Price to the meeting to discuss the recommendations from the Youth Forum which had come about from her motion to Council when she sat as a Town Councillor. The Committee received and considered the report of the Town Clerk which had previously been presented to Council on 26 June 2019.  Cllr Price was invited to make suggestions and assist with the formation of the Youth Services Working Party.

 

Cllr Price explained that this would be a task and finish working party to set the specification of the type of youth work required.  She thought it should be a combination of elected members, cross party members and people with direct experience of delivering Youth Work.  She would like to see all those who had already been involved directly in the Youth Forum with the addition of Julie Edwards who was very experienced in youth work and also the leader of Cogges Youth Club.  She would also like to see Lucy Cullen who had a good understanding of the issues involved.

 

Cllr Price also suggested representatives from all 3 tiers of Council – she would be delighted to join the working party as the representative for OCC. 

 

She thought that the Working party should: -

·         Write the specification of posts and how many posts there should be

·         Set the hours the Youth Works should work

·         Take advice from those who understood the issues

·         Decide what the ultimate goals of the service would be

·         Decide upon the type of service – direct or partnership organisation

·         Write funding bids to OCC, WODC and Thames Valley Police

A member asked if the Youth Worker would be attached to a premises.  Cllr Price explained that this would largely be down to the worker as they may feel that it would be better not to be.

 

RECOMMENDED: 

 

that Cllr Price’s suggestions be accepted and that that 3 Labour members, 1 Conservative member and 1 Green member should represent the Town Council. The groups should put forward names and the approval of these would be delegated to the Town Clerk.

 

Cllr Price left the meeting at 8.02pm.