A group of West Cumbrian youngsters attended Westminster to take part in a parliamentary inquiry into levelling up.
Rebecca Woods,19, Reece Pocklington, 20, and Billy Robinson, 21, are part of Ewanrigg Local Trust in Maryport and took part in the All Party Parliamentary Group earlier this week.
It was also attended by MPs, civil servants and policy makers. Focusing on the Levelling Up White Paper, which sets out the Government’s plan to spread opportunity more equally across the UK, the inquiry was organised to establish the baseline outlook for levelling up in ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods and assess the extent to which the policy programme aligns with the needs and aspirations of people who live there.
The youngsters presented their own experiences of growing up in West Cumbria, describing some of the challenges faced by young people in the area and giving examples of community led initiatives that have aim to address issues relating to poverty, social isolation and mental health, such as Hug a Mug and the We Will youth mental health campaign.
They championed the case for long term funding in underinvested communities and urged the government to support investment at a ‘grass roots level’ giving residents control over the money and empowering them to create and deliver projects that work for them.
The inquiry was organised by the Local Trust. Daniel Crowe, one of its representatives, said: “Given the subject matter of levelling up outcomes in relation to education, skills and wellbeing, it was essential to have the voice of young people in the room.
“We were delighted to invite Reece, Rebecca and Billy to represent the Ewanrigg Local Trust and for them to share the issues they faced growing up in what is one the most disadvantaged communities in the country.
“The session was a great opportunity for APPG members to talk about how we can best support communities in taking action to improve local outcomes, enabling residents, including young people, to take the lead in levelling up their local community.”
