- 06/07/2018
- Posted by: Hillingdon Labour
- Category: News
A motion on the creation of a Youth Champion for Hillingdon put forward by the Labour Group to the Council meeting yesterday was amended by the Conservatives, making the motion meaningless.
Councillor Kerri Prince put forward a motion to Hillingdon Council calling for the creation of a Youth Champion to ensure that young people have a voice at the heart of the Council and that due regard is given to issues that affect younger people in Hillingdon.
The Leader of the Council, Cllr Ray Puddifoot, is the self-appointed older persons champion but Hillingdon has never had a young people’s champion before.
But Hillingdon Conservatives amended the motion to include the text that the Leader of the Council could create the role “when and if he feels it appropriate and necessary”, therefore kicking the issue into the long grass and to allow the leader of the council to conveniently shelve the idea.
Speaking during the Council meeting, Councillor Prince said:
“I find it deeply unfortunate that the Conservatives have used such an issue as a political football. They have proven that they don’t care about young people at all. With their amendment, the Conservatives have told young people in Hillingdon to not consider themselves to be valued residents of this Borough because this Conservative administration will ensure that they are not.
”If the Leader of the Council hasn’t created a Youth Champion in 18 years, I have no faith he will do so now.”
After the amendment was pushed through by the Conservatives, the Labour Group voted against the amended motion because it simply gave the Leader of the Council the power to create the role, which is a power that he has had, but not used, for 18 years
