Motion C
Proposer Cllr Weston
Seconder Cllr Emery
In accordance with Council Standing Order 25.1, notice is provided of the intention to suspend Council Standing Orders: 4.4 11, 15.1 at the extraordinary Full Council on the 16th of October 2025. This is to allow speeches/ presentations from the Haringey Youth Council on the key concerns of young people living in the borough.
Motion D – Re-affirming Council support of The Haringey Youth Council and facilitating forthcoming borough wide Youth Council Election together with nomination of youth representative from Haringey to the Youth Parliament
Proposer: Cllr Zena Brabazon
Seconder: Cllr Dawn Barnes
The Council notes that
· The last census the Council undertook indicated that there were over 59,000 under 19s in the Borough- out of an overall population of 261,000. This represents a significant proportion of Haringey’s population.
· Young people have more of a stake in our borough’s future than any other community group. They will feel the impact of decisions made by politicians, councils and governments more than anyone else – and their opinion and liberty is as vital to democracy as residents 18 and above.
· The government’s decision to lower the voting age to 16 years old reflects a growing recognition of the importance of young people’s role in democracy – and this should be reflected in Haringey Council’s decision-making process.
· The Corporate Delivery Plan 2024– 2026 set out plans to establish a Haringey Youth Panel. This was to ensure that young people representing their communities would have more opportunities to be actively involved in influencing decisions that affect them.
· Since 2022, The Council’s Youth Services team has undertaken work with schools, youth groups and established youth forums to recruit young people to an initial Youth Panel event. In 2024 the Youth Panel and the Elevated Youth SEND Forum was created with close ties developed between the two forums.
· Since September 2024 the Youth Panel and Elevated Youth SEND Forum have:
· Come together with Councillors in an extraordinary Council meeting to discuss and raise issues that are important to young people.
· Effectively scrutinised and influenced council decision-making by contributing to Scrutiny meetings, raising the concerns of young people around community safety.
· Engaged their peers through consultation which provided significant input in the Youth Strategy and shared their findings with both Children and Young People’s Scrutiny and Cabinet, widening the democratic participation of their community
· Part of the recruitment and selection processes for key officer posts with weighted scoring applied.
· Partnership and Engagement Initiatives: Collaborated with events partnership Team to secure Wireless Festival tickets for local young people and worked alongside the Council’s Press Team to promote youth involvement and community engagement opportunities.
· Empowering Young People and Families: Inspired by the Elevated Youth and wider Youth Panel (soon to become the Youth Council) initiated the Creating Generational Wealth event for young people and their families. The event focused on savings, entrepreneurship and will-writing, delivered in partnership with Barclays Bank and the London Capital Credit Union.
· Youth Development and Learning Opportunities: Supported youth participation in London festival of Architecture and social pressures impact young people.
· Additionally, partnered with Street Doctors to deliver lifesaving first aid training to 14 Youth Panel members on responding to knife crime incidents.
· Employment Support: Collaborated with the King’s Trust team to support school leavers who are Youth Panel members in exploring summer retail employment opportunities. As a result, two young people successfully secured part-time positions with Marks & Spencer in central London.
The Council must continue support young people to develop the skills to make sure this is a successful continued project. The next steps are now to facilitate the Youth Council election.
· The Youth Council election period starts on the 15th of October with a launch of manifestos for candidates running for the positions of: Young Mayor, Deputy Young Mayor, Youth Council Chair, and Youth Council Deputy Chair.
· Members of the Youth Council will also represent Haringey on the London’s Youth Assembly and UK Youth Parliament ensuring the voice of ‘Haringey young people reach a London wide and national level.
The Council believes that
· Young residents who represent their community must be heard by the Council especially when it comes to decisions that directly affect them now and in the future.
· Only through genuine and meaningful consultation with young people and the Haringey Youth Council will the Council deliver policies catered to the needs and experience of young people and support them in a way they find productive.
· Closer ties must be formed between Elected Representatives and the Youth Council.
This Council resolves to:
· First and foremost, genuinely listen to young people and the Youth Council. This cannot simply be a performative exercise for the council – young people must be genuinely consulted and considered.
· Use the Youth Council as a valuable resource, seeking consultation in and outside of formal and Full Council meetings on issues relevant to young people where appropriate.
· Engage with the Youth Council, ensuring that senior decision-makers, such as Cabinet Members or senior council officers, meet with the Youth Council and to discuss matters of relevance.
· Provide references for Youth Council members for their role in the democratic and decision-making process.
· Support the Youth Council to widen their engagement and access any regional or national initiatives that they may be eligible for.
· Without fault, ensure the education of Youth Council members remains unaffected by participation in any council-related initiative.
· Do its utmost to ensure that Haringey has a diverse Youth Council that represents the young people of the borough.
· Continue supporting and developing the skills of the Youth Council to ensure that the voices of young people in the community are being heard at every level.
· Commit to support Councillors to engage with the Youth Council on a regular basis. This will culminate in an annual Council-wide meeting with the Youth Council to hear concerns and issues directly affecting young people.
· Promote the participation of young people in local democracy and ensure that they are at the heart of decision making.