A Young Person's Champion has been appointed to Worcester City Council, putting issues such as child poverty, youth employment and young people's well-being at the heart of future decision-making.
The move will see all future City Council policies and decisions assessed for their impact on children and young people.It reflects growing concern about emerging inequalities faced by young people in Worcester.
Cllr Matthew Lamb, who has been appointed as the city's first Young People's Champion said: "I have spent my professional life working with children and young people through education and they literally are the future. However, I know how difficult it is for young people today. The impact of Covid on young lives has been enormous and too many young people wrestle with issues of poverty, mental health, questions of identify, concern about the environment and fears for their future in education and employment.
"It is an enormous honour to have been chosen to speak up for children and young people and I will be a tireless advocate for them in our local communities. I will be seeking to listen to young people and to hear what their concerns are, so we can better serve them in the Council and ensure that their voice is heard."
The Communities Committee will work with the Young Person's Champion to implement actions to combat child poverty. These include ensuring health inequalities resulting from child poverty are fully addressed in the new Worcestershire Health and Wellbeing Strategy - and support is available to struggling families through the Worcester City Discretionary Welfare Assistance Scheme.
