Young people help shape the district’s future

Dozens of pupils from the district's secondary schools have taken part in a virtual conference to help the city council shape the future of the area.

Students from across all years at Spires Academy, Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys and the Whitstable School were involved in the special event last Friday (16 October).

The conference gave the pupils the opportunity to tell the council what they think the key local issues are for the next 20 years and how they would like things to be improved.

Particular areas of focus were the future of the city and town centres and how the district can tackle climate change.

Council Leader Cllr Ben Fitter-Harding said: "As we develop our new Local Plan we've been consulting with different groups of people who have an interest in our district's future.

"One group that really matters to me are the school pupils of today who represent the residents, workers and visitors of tomorrow. It has been brilliant to get a sense of what they want our future to look like.

"To all those who took part, thank you for sharing your ideas with us, and I hope that the decisions we take will serve you well long into the future."

The conference aimed to complement the recent public consultation carried out by the council on the current issues the area faces.

Any other secondary schools that would like the opportunity to take part in shaping the future of the district should email planning@canterbury.gov.uk.

Published: 19 October 2020