Heywood young people quiz borough’s decision makers

Heywood Question Time - Young People Address MPs, Councillors and Senior Leaders from the Council, Police, Transport and Health

Young people from across Heywood met with their local MP and Councillors, as well as senior leaders from the police, council, transport and health services on Thursday 26 February to raise key issues affecting them.

Around 30 young people joined a panel consisting of Heywood and Middleton MP Liz McInnes, GMP Rochdale’s Inspector for Heywood and Middleton Steve Hanlon, Rochdale Borough Council’s Director of Children's Services Gail Hopper, Karen Kenton, Health Commissioning Lead for Children, James Lomax from Transport for Greater Manchester, Gordon Beverley from Environmental Services and Heywood Councillors Peter Rush and Jacqui Beswick.

At the top of the agenda were issues around policing, youth provision, litter, national cuts to youth services, the Darnhill Kickpitch, voting for 16 year olds, bus fares and public transport, as well as feeling safe in Heywood.

Organised by Rochdale Youth Service, the quarterly Question Time sessions bring young people in contact with the borough’s key decision makers, giving them a chance to raise any concerns about local services or needs. The sessions also form part of Rochdale Children and Young People’s Partnership's commitment to listening and acting on the thoughts of children and young people.

Sandra Bowness, Assistant Director, Early Help and Schools at Rochdale Council, said: “These sessions are hugely valuable – when it comes to finding out exactly what our young people are concerned about, there really is no substitute for hearing it straight from their own mouths. It also gives us a chance to explain why some decisions are made and allows us to take away feedback that we can then use to make our own services better.”

Liz McInnes MP said: “I was so impressed by the confidence and intelligence of the audience and think that we should be proud that we have young people who want to improve life in the borough for everybody.”