| Fourteen young people from the Newbury area have recently been elected and will soon have a new opportunity to champion the interests of their peers, when they form Newbury Young People’s Council (NYPC).
This will be the first time the Council has been formed through direct elections, and the move represents a coming of age of a body that has already proved its worth.
Over recent years the Council – previously formed by co-option – has successfully lobbied local authorities over issues such as a skateboard park at Wash Common and a cinema for Newbury. Following elections, the Council will be able to speak with more authority as a result of its mandate and represent a wider range of issues.
Elections took place over the last few months at St Bartholomews, Trinity and Park House secondary schools from the separate key stages to ensure representation across the board, and through an extra-mural group to represent young people outside those school environments. There will be six council seats from each group.
Councillor Paul Walter said: “This is an exciting development for Newbury Young People’s Council (NYPC), not least because it has just gained membership of the British Youth Council. Members will be able to contribute to the increasingly important ‘citizenship’ learning zone, and the new body will be better able to link with existing school councils. It’s also a great idea that candidates should identify their own issues on which they will campaign!”
In January Members will elect their own Junior Mayor, Deputy Junior Mayor, Treasurer, Secretary and possibly sub-groups to deal with specific issues. | 
