Youth Council :: Witham Town Council :: Witham is a pleasant Georgian town with a history that dates back to the time of King Alfred located at the very heart of Essex midway between Colchester and Chelmsford.

Message from the Chairman of theYouth Council

Hello!

I am Alex Biyi, currently Chairman of the Youth Council. I was elected to the Chairmanship in September 2007.

The Youth Council comprises 18 members: 4 from each of Witham's two secondary schools: and two from each of its five primary schools. Most of us were elected by our schools in September 2006 to serve for two years.

We have had a fascinating insight into the way that town councils conduct their business: the need for agenda (so that we know what we are expected to discuss); for minutes of meetings (so that we know what we have decided); and the need to let everyone have their say on the topics we are talking about. We were greatly assisted by those Town Councillors who attended our meetings and guided us through the procedures.

The Youth Council has debated a number of ideas for improvements to the town and has made recommendations to the Witham Town Council. These include:

· Better lighting on the River Walk;

· Improvements to the skateboarding facilities;

· The possibility of a cinema club

Regarding the first bullet point above, members of the previous Youth Council conducted surveys in their schools to canvass opinions before putting the Youth Council's conclusions to the Town Council. We are aware that the Chairman of the Witham and Countryside is to give the Youth Council a presentation, as he gave to our predecessors, explaining why he thinks lighting the River Walk is not a good idea.

One of the Youth Councillors Samuel Miller, had ideas for improvements to the skateboarding facilities near Spa Road. He was invited to a meeting of the Town's Council's Community to present his ideas. As a result the Town Council has asked its officers to cost Sam's proposals.

The possibility of a cinema club, which exercised the previous Youth Council, has also been a source of much debate. The biggest issue is the cost of investment.

A high spot so far has been the visit that some of us made to Parliament during the summer holidays, kindly arranged by our MP. It was a fascinating and enjoyable day, despite the early start

We have learnt that local government procedures, for good reason, take their time, so we are not expecting quick answers to all the matters we have raised, but we know that they will be fairly considered.

Alex Biyi