25/10/2004 - South Lakeland school council conference

Young people from across South Lakeland have heard why some of their area's councillors got into local politics at a special School Councils’ Conference. 

The event, at the county offices in Kendal on Thursday, 21 October, involved representatives from eight South Lakeland school councils and was part of Local Democracy Week.

Cumbria County Council education spokeswoman, councillor Joan Stocker, was joined by South Lakeland District Councillor Colin Hodgson, and Kendal Mayor Marilyn Molloy, to lead a session on local democracy. 

Mrs Stocker said she had always been involved in community matters and had stepped in to stand as a councillor when her local member retired. 

She said she now enjoys politics and the political debates, but feels the ‘down side' is that it can take too long to achieve things through the various council committee cycles. This thought was echoed by the other two councillors.

Youngsters from the school councils discussed the Healthy Schools programme which covers everything from the school toilets to appointing a new teacher. 

Liz Cornford from Young Cumbria explained the local authority pledge to young people and canvassed young people’s opinions on how it should best be delivered.

Finally, the school representatives looked at some of the issues to do with cycling and how their schools could encourage pupils to cycle.

Pupils from The Lakes School presented the results of a cycling survey and Dr Andrew Miles, from sustainable transport organisation Sustrans, discussed his research on cycling, health and Safe Routes to School.

Working with Cumbria County Council, Mr Miles now hopes to extend the cycling surveys to the other secondary schools in the area.

The views expressed by the pupils will inform a South Lakeland Cycling and Sustainable Transport Conference planned for next Spring.

County Councillor Alan Bobbett, who co-chaired the event, said: "I was immensely impressed by the intensity the students showed in the workshop sessions and during their presentations to the audience." 

Councillor Stocker added it had been a pleasure to work with the school representatives and that she was grateful to the schools for helping to make the event possible.