Young People Have Their Say On Budget
Young people from secondary schools across RCT have taken the opportunity to have their say on Council services and the Council’s 2016/17 budget.
Over 30 young people from Y Pant, Porth, Tonypandy, Mountain Ash, Ferndale, Aberdare, Maesgwyn, Cymmer and Treorchy Schools took part in an engagement session, chaired by Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Keiron Montague.
Cllr Montague, who has responsibility for Engagement and Youth Services, said of the event: “As part of our revised approach to consultation on next year’s budget, which includes Town Centre road shows and an online budget simulator, we also wanted to seek the views of young people directly.
“The event held in the chamber gave me the opportunity to engage with young people about the challenges we face as a Council and, importantly, it allowed them to have their say on the issues that matter to them.
“It was a really productive event in which the young people who took part engaged in fully.
“It was great to see pupils from different schools working together on the tasks they were asked to complete and the confidence displayed when feeding back to the me and the wider audience.
“The young people involved were full of questions, suggestions and ideas as to how the Council can engage better with them in the future and I will certainly be following these up over the next few weeks and months.
“One such suggestion made was to establish a Youth Council or Cabinet to give young people a regular opportunity to engage with the Council and its partners about important issues and I will be looking to set this up as quickly as possible.
“I would like to thank all the young people who took part in this session for their honest feedback and helpful suggestions and I look forward to continuing to work with them moving forwards.”
This event forms part of the Council’s ongoing consultation on the 2016/17 budget. Faced with an initial budget gap of approximately £20M for 2016/17 as a result of ongoing UK Government cuts to public sector funding, the Council is seeking the views of all residents.
Residents can have their say via the online budget simulator which provides information on Council services and spending and gives the opportunity of balancing the budget on according to an individual’s priorities – visitwww.rctcbc.gov.uk/rcttogether for more information and to have a go at the simulator.
Town centre roadshows have also been arranged in Pontypridd, Treorchy and Aberdare to give residents the opportunity to speak to senior officers and Cabinet Members directly about the challenges faced by the Council.
Consultation on the Council’s 2016/17 budget closes on Monday, January 18.
