Bitter row erupts after calls to scrap £100,000 Durham 'Youth People Parliament' funding

A political row broke out during a Durham County Council meeting over an opposition bid to pull funding from a new youth council scheme.
County Hall, the headquarters of Durham County Council.County Hall, the headquarters of Durham County Council.
County Hall, the headquarters of Durham County Council.

The council signed off its 2020/21 budget following hours of debate at the end of February 2020, which included spending plans and council tax levels for the coming financial year.

As part of the process, opposition groups submitted amendments, with Conservatives singling out a £100,000-a-year spend from the council to establish a ‘Young People Parliament’.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Conservative councillors criticised the proposals and called for the cash to be redirected into more “localised investment” through the council’s Area Action Partnerships.

Leader of the Conservative group, Coun Richard Bell, said: “I think the suspicion is that it’s just going to be a political talking shop but to what end?

“We can’t even guarantee they’re going to discuss issues that the council wants it to discuss and wants it to engage with.”

Coun Bell added: “We fully support engagement with young people and youth work. What we want to do is actually spend this money on the provision of actual youth services.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The comments came during the annual budget meeting at Durham County Hall on Wednesday, February 26.

However, the budget amendment sparked heated responses from the Labour benches.

Cabinet member for Children and Young People’s services, Coun Olwyn Gunn, said Conservatives were “dismissing the voice of the child”.

She added the £100,000 budget proposal was the result of consultation, with young people “wanting to make a difference” in County Durham.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Coun John Clare said: “Instead of twisting about this genuine attempt to try and hear what young people are saying, I find it outrageous that the Tories are proposing this when it was their Government that cut the funding that ended up with the loss of these [youth] services in the first place.”

Coun Maura McKeon, Durham’s youngest county councillor, also spoke out on the amendment.

“You’re looking for a justification, we have £100,000 and its the young people of County Durham who have told us that they want this.

“It’s the lack of power that they have to create the world they want to inherit.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“So often we get obstacles in our way, I have faith in the young people of County Durham, I just wish that the Tories had as well.”

Liberal Democrat, Coun Mark Wilkes, said he was “disgusted” with comments from the Conservative group.

And independent councillor Ian Geldard, a former member of Youth Parliament for South Durham, spoke of the benefits of the scheme around attracting young people into politics.

He added that the council needs to be listening to young people and setting policy around their views.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“That’s what Coun Gunn has set out to do, that’s what this [£100,000] will do and not only do I strongly oppose this amendment but I do think it’s a disgrace and I am outraged by it,” he said.

The Conservative budget amendment was defeated with 91 votes against, 11 in support and 7 abstentions.