MP's YOUTH FORUM GIVES LOCAL YOUNG PEOPLE A VOICE

Local MP Tim Farron is taking action on the concerns of young people, after the huge success of his latest Youth Forum where he met with 28 young people from right Westmorland and Lonsdale last Friday. The Youth Forum, which has been held a number of times before, discussed facilities for young people, affordable housing, climate change, transport and how the Government could relate to young people better. As has happened in previous years, Tim will now take forward the views of the young people in the form of letters to ministers and others in authority, parliamentary questions and parliamentary motions.

Tim Farron said:

"The Youth Forum is highly valuable to me. After breaking the ice with a fun game, we got down to business and there were many points on which I will take action."

"Young people in rural areas are at a clear disadvantage with regards to facilities. Likewise, rural areas do not have the public transport available to those in the cities, and these things must change. Affordable housing needs to be put at the forefront of the national agenda, and ideas such as my "Home on the Farm" scheme were well received."

"Of particular interest to me were young people's views on climate change. Many members of the forum were enthusiastic about the UK setting an example to the rest of the world, but others were cynical and felt that our efforts would be pointless when other countries continued to heavily pollute. The healthy debate reinforced my views that we need to make more of an effort to halt climate change, and that the Government needs to communicate the challenges facing the world both to our own citizens and to our international partners."