Telford MP meets children and young people to help shape National Youth Strategy

Shaun Davies, MP for Telford, visited Dawley Youth Club last week to meet with children and young people in Telford to hear directly from them as part of the Government’s new National Youth Strategy which is a nationwide initiative designed to place real voices at the heart of policy making.

During his visit Shaun asked the children and young people about the challenges they face and the changes they would like to see in Telford.

“More youth groups to keep teenagers off the streets” and “more police around the town centre” plus resources in schools, the cost of local transport, rising costs of higher education and road safety, especially speeding in residential areas,  were the main topics the group raised with Telford’s MP.

The new strategy, launched by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), aims to reverse over a decade of decline in youth funding and opportunities. Since 2010, local authority spending on youth services has fallen by 73%, amounting to over £1 billion less being invested in support for young people each year.

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, said: “We are handing power back to young people and their communities, giving them a genuine opportunity to help make the policies that affect their lives. We are providing young people with a genuine voice, delivering on our Plan for Change and creating opportunities in every part of the country.”

Shaun Davies MP added: “Thank you to group who engaged so well with me during this conversation. I am pleased to see the Government bring forward this new National Youth Strategy but key to this is speaking to Telford’s children and young people to get their views. There are lots of excellent organisations in Telford such as Dawley Youth Club, but we must keep investing in them so that our children and young people have every chance to thrive.”

If you would like to share your views with Shaun please email Shaun.Davies.MP@parliament.uk