As part of her regular series of Basingstoke Community Chats, Maria Miller MP provided local students with the opportunity to discuss the issues they feel are most important and hear directly from them about what life is like growing up in Basingstoke.
The panel was composed of key representatives such as Councillor Simon Bound, Leader of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Inspector Mike Thorne, Basingstoke Police, Marie Greenhalgh, Head of Inclusion College at Inclusion Hampshire and Tom Payne, Head of Environment and Community Services. The meeting featured a panel and Q&A session, allowing for direct discussion between students and officials.
Local college students from both Queen Mary’s College and Basingstoke College of Technology discussed many topics such as safety in the community, mental health awareness and issues facing the environment. In addition, students gave their thoughts on what the future of the town should look like and discussed the Local Plan Update, which sets out the overall vision and strategy for the future of the Borough for the next decade.
Maria commented “It is so important that we hear directly from young people on the issues that they feel are most concerning. Young people are the future of our community, and it is therefore great to see them showing so much interest in very important subjects. I was particularly pleased with how confident and open students were in sharing specific issues and challenges they have faced, sharing with experts on the panel and ensuring services continue to develop and improve. learning and listening, particularly from young people, is vital to improve the world around us.”
Maria also empathised “I would like to thank students from QMC and BCoT for attending the event and for their intriguing questions. it was hugely inspirational to listen to Basingstoke’s young people on what really matters to them both locally and nationally.”
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