a. Councillor Jonathan Quin to move that
“this Council
(i) notes, with regret, that the Eikon Charity stopped supporting the Surrey Heath Youth Council on Thursday 20th July and as a result, the Youth Council will cease operating unless new funding and support is found;
(ii) acknowledges that the Youth Council has successfully engaged and represented young people in the Borough and has delivered projects including anti-stigma training days in local schools, charitable fundraising and a campaign to improve Crabtree Skate Park;
(iii) notes, with regret, that there has not been closer collaboration and joint-working between the Council and the Youth Council in previous years, and that the Council has not appointed a Surrey Heath Young Mayor since 2015;
(iv) requests that the Mayor of Surrey Heath formally writes to the current Youth Council thanking them for their service to the young people of Surrey Heath;
(v) requests that the Leader and Chief Executive arrange a meeting with Eikon and the current youth council members to discuss their existing projects and how they could be supported by the Council or other agencies; and
(vi) requests that the Leader of the Council and the Executive explore the options for the continuation of the Youth Council and the establishment of a ceremonial Young Mayor, with a report to go to Executive by no later than 31st October 2023”
b. Councillor Jonny Cope to move that
"this Council
(i) opposes the Mayor of London’s extension of the ULEZ to the boundary of Greater London;
(ii) notes that the expansion affects not only Londoners and will cause many Surrey Heath residents and businesses to pay £12.50 a day just to drive a car to carry out their trade or visit relatives; many simply cannot afford to do this;
(iii) notes that, for many of its residents, their car is the only reliable option to visit outer London, particularly given the reduced public transport options compared with inner London; punishing those who cannot afford to buy a more modern vehicle is deeply unfair and out of touch, particularly at a time when the cost of living is increasing;
(iv) calls on the Mayor of London to listen, rethink this flawed policy and instead invest in improving the public transport network in outer London to make it easier for people to make more sustainable transport choices; and
(v) asks the Leader of the Council to write to the Mayor of London expressing this Council’s opposition to ULEZ expansion to outer London and calling on the Mayor to cancel the expansion."
Minutes:
It was moved by Councillor Jonathan Quin, seconded by Councillor Morgan Rise that
“this Council
(i) notes, with regret, that the Eikon Charity stopped supporting the Surrey Heath Youth Council on Thursday 20July 2023 and as a result, the Youth Council will cease operating unless new funding and support is found;
(ii) acknowledges that the Youth Council has successfully engaged and represented young people in the Borough and has delivered projects including anti-stigma training days in local schools, charitable fundraising and a campaign to improve Crabtree Skate Park;
(iii) notes, with regret, that there has not been closer collaboration and joint-working between the Council and the Youth Council in previous years, and that the Council has not appointed a Surrey Heath Young Mayor since 2015;
(iv) requests that the Mayor of Surrey Heath formally writes to the current Youth Council thanking them for their service to the young people of Surrey Heath;
(v) requests that the Leader and Chief Executive arrange a meeting with Eikon and the current youth council members to discuss their existing projects and how they could be supported by the Council or other agencies; and
(vi) requests that the Leader of the Council and the Executive explore the options for the continuation of the Youth Council and the establishment of a ceremonial Young Mayor, with a report to go to Executive by no later than 31 October 2023”.
Members debated the motion and supported taking action to help the continuation of the Youth Council. It was, however, recognised that, as the current provision would cease from the new academic year, it would be necessary to urgently identify interim support for the Youth Council pending any longer term solutions that would be addressed in the report to the Executive.
RESOLVED that the Council
(i) notes, with regret, that the Eikon Charity stopped supporting the Surrey Heath Youth Council on Thursday 20 July 2023 and as a result, the Youth Council will cease operating unless new funding and support is found;
(ii) acknowledges that the Youth Council has successfully engaged and represented young people in the Borough and has delivered projects including anti-stigma training days in local schools, charitable fundraising and a campaign to improve Crabtree Skate Park;
(iii) notes, with regret, that there has not been closer collaboration and joint-working between the Council and the Youth Council in previous years, and that the Council has not appointed a Surrey Heath Young Mayor since 2015;
(iv) requests that the Mayor of Surrey Heath formally writes to the current Youth Council thanking them for their service to the young people of Surrey Heath;
(v) requests that the Leader and Chief Executive arrange a meeting with Eikon and the current youth council members to discuss their existing projects and how they could be supported by the Council or other agencies; and
(vi) requests that the Leader of the Council and the Executive explore the options for the continuation of the Youth Council and the establishment of a ceremonial Young Mayor, with a report to go to Executive by no later than 31 October 2023.