Question:
As the pandemic has split us apart so much socially, there hasn't been enough done to try and aid young people aged 11-17 in terms of places to go and things to do. The Council has not provided places for young people to commune independently. As a result, young people have been socialising in places that were not intended to have any number of people. This can be exampled in the Woosehill underpass which has had several complaints from residents on social media about gatherings of young people before and during the pandemic. So, the question that I put to the Council today is; In light of the things that I have stated today what will you do to make a place for our young people to gather in Wokingham?
Minutes:
As the pandemic has split us apart so much socially, there hasn't been enough done to try and aid young people aged 11-17 in terms of places to go and things to do. The Council has not provided places for young people to commune independently. As a result, young people have been socialising in places that were not intended to have any number of people. This can be exampled in the Woosehill underpass which has had several complaints from residents on social media about gatherings of young people before and during the pandemic. So, the question that I put to the Council today is; In light of the things that I have stated today what will you do to make a place for our young people to gather in Wokingham?
Answer
The pandemic has hit different people in different ways. For young people, the lockdowns have made gatherings particularly difficult. It has been impossible for us to provide places for them. In fact, we have been expressly tasked with preventing such gatherings. As we emerge from the pandemic, young people will be able to gather safely again and we provide many places for them to do so, including the skate park in Wokingham town centre, the MUGA in Finchampstead and our new parks across the Borough. Town and Parish Councils also provide facilities as well. We have a recently elected Member of the Youth Parliament who will help us advise as to what is needed for young people in the Borough.
In Children’s Services, WBC delivers targeted one to one family interventions to teenagers through the Early Help provision. The Integrated Early Help Service are involved in the delivery of the Department of Education Explorers Extreme Programmes which offer participants the opportunity to engage in constructive and positive activities and develop key skills. The Council’s Youth Offending Service works with teenagers who have committed criminal offences. Support is also offered to those at risk of offending. The service is also involved in delivering programmes aimed at reducing violent offending for larger groups of children in schools. So, Mr Mayor, we are a caring authority, providing a range of services for older and younger children within the Borough.
Supplementary Question
As the response refers to young people who are violent and disadvantaged, is enough being done to talk to the average young person? There are not many places to go when it is raining, or when the weather is slightly adverse. There are no places to go without being extremely wet, or in a bad mood, because of that. In the UK we do have terrible weather sometimes. So what is WBC doing to give young people places to go independently without having to go to community centres and places like that? The skate parks are a great start, but there is really nowhere to go if it starts raining.
Supplementary Answer
When it is raining, it is raining. There are cafes and restaurants available to come out of the weather. I have listed a number of facilities that we offer for young people. I will be sitting down with the Youth MP to consider what else we can offer.