Young people met in Congleton Town Hall last week to discuss what a future Youth Council for the town might look like, and the priorities for youngsters in Congleton.
Facilitated by Community Committee Chair Cllr Kay Wesley and Barney Mitcheson (Mayor’s Cadet 2024-25), the young people worked in teams to answer questions such as ‘How many people should we have on a youth council?’, ‘What ages should they be?’, ‘How often should it meet’ and ‘What types of activities do young people want in Congleton?’.
The Town Council had already conducted a survey, promoted by videos of Barney and Mayor’s Cadet Haru Pepper on TikTok and Instagram, to ask young people in the town what they like about Congleton, what needs improving, and what activities they want.
The respondents said that the best things in Congleton are the parks, green spaces, sports, nature and events. On the ‘could be better’ list were things like ‘not enough to do’, public transport and safety concerns.
The top requests from the survey were a climbing wall, places to hang out, a youth café and events for young people (See graph).
The delegates, ranging in age from 10 to 17, also heard about ideas generated at brainstorm sessions run by the Scouts and Rangers recently.
The group got the opportunity to vote on their favourite ideas from the survey and the brainstorms, and work the most popular ones up into more complete plans for a Youth Council to take forward.
The ideas developed were for a Coffee House, Gaming Centre, Halloween Event and a Water Park. The group recognised that some were ‘quick wins’ and others would require substantial investment, and tasked the Youth Council with seeking funding and support to take them forward.
Many of those present signed up to be part of the Youth Council, and suggested ways to get more young people involved, both in future meetings but also to have more voices heard even if not attending meetings.
Cllr Wesley reflected “It was great to have such a diverse group of young people in the room contributing their ideas to the discussion. Many of them had not met each other before but they worked well in teams, and showed that young people really do know best when it comes to planning activities for the youth of Congleton.”
Most of the delegates signed up to be part of the Youth Council itself, and the group will reach out to schools, youth groups and community groups to ensure it is as representative of Congleton young people as possible.
If you would like to get involved with the Youth Council, email info@congleton-tc.gov.uk with the subject line ‘Youth Council’.
