Ellesmere youth provision and facility needs tops council agenda

In January, Shropshire Council proposed a new way of funding youth provisions in the county, with the main brunt of the cost falling on the shoulders of local authorities themselves.

For Ellesmere this meant the loss of around £4,000 of funding.

However the authority has already located alternative ways of providing youth provisions.

The town council will work with Oswestry based The New Saints Football Club in providing sports camps, but have already begun putting out feelers for how best to spend their own money on youth provisions.

Activities over the summer saw around 22 children attend, which Ellesmere Town Council viewing the numbers as a success.

At Ellesmere Town Council’s full council meeting, held virtually on Monday, September 8, councillors hear the various ideas put forward by the town’s youth for things they would like to see.

This included a bicycle track and a basketball hoop, but councillor Nick Cull suggested the council act fast to make sure the town’s youth did not miss out and proposed arranging a meeting with young people.

“We’ve got people asking for a bike track and basketball,” said cllr Cull. “We’re asking young people what their needs are.

“I think we’re just round in circles here. I think at some point we need a special council meeting, with young people.”

He added: “Why don’t we get a grip of it and have a special meeting and find out people want.”

While many councillors agreed with the need to move quickly in regards to finding out what the town’s youth might want, cllrs Anne Wignall and Ali Devismes suggested that the council should meet with Gill Jones from TNS Foundation first.

“While I would like to move as quickly as we can I do think we need to meet with youth workers first as they are the experts,” said cllr Wignall.

The council will now meet with Ms Jones before holding a specific youth provisions meeting, possibly with an view towards setting up a specific youth council.