The lives of children and young people in Reading have been much on my mind this week. I've just got in from an excellent meeting of the two Education and Housing scrutiny panels.
The subject was health inequality and despite the gloomy picture we are facing in parts of Reading we were able to come up with some really positive ideas about how we might make more of an impact on this problem, as a Council.
While I feel strongly that this Labour government has failed on it's promises to eradicate child poverty here in Reading it's important we do more than simply moan about it.
We are faced with strategies and action plans all the time but it takes political will to actually say we are going to try and face up to problems - set ourselves stringent targets and stick to them. A basic one should be - ensuring that all our young people leave school with the skills they need so they do not end up NEETs.
Talking about culture, scrutiny is really starting to become embedded - this is part of the changing culture of Reading Borough Council after years of one-Party (Labour) rule.
It made a refreshing change to hear contributions from members of all sides without the mud-slinging that used to go on in these kind of meetings.
This is not to say that in my role as Chair I do not challenge officers, lead members and Council policy.
I just don't see the point of making political points when there are important matters to be discussed. As last night showed - that's what full Council meetings are for.
Lots of councillors spoke about their personal experiences of issues in their wards - the importance of having good access to healthcare, transport etc.
I was pleased that, given the subjects included teenage pregnancy, councillors did not slip into stereotyping or making disparaging comments.
We all agreed that people in many areas of Reading are sick and tired of people talking down to them and their communities and neighbourhoods.
They have a right to expect respect and access to good services just like families in more well-off areas more able to demand them.
One of the strong messages we got from officers was that we need to do more to listen to and involve local children - instead of assuming our priorities are their priorities.
And we need to make a special effort to listen to children from some of the poorest parts of town - ask them what needs to change to improve their health and improve their life chances.
I made the point that it was important we as councillors stopped expecting children and young people to come to us i.e take part in consultations and other formal structures. We need to go where young people go.
I pointed out that I engage with a lot of my constituents (both young and old) via Facebook and Twitter. I have found this is a great way to find out the views of young parents in particular. I'm pleased to say the officers present at the meeting supported this approach (we'll need to persuade the Monitoring Officer who is currently against it though!).
One great idea put forward by an officer at the meeting was to use video to find out the views of school children in Reading. I am keen we take this forward to get real children's voices heard and acted on.
I like the idea of children holding councillors to account!
We also need to listen and talk more to parents in some of Reading's more deprived areas: let them play a part in helping set the Council's priorities for the future.
Yesterday was the credit crunch summit focussing on how we can better support young people in the recession. This was my idea and I was delighted that a group of young people (between 16-19) attended the event to express their views.
It made a refreshing change to most Council meetings and lowered the average age considerably!
You could hear a pin drop when one young man spoke about how demoralised he felt being forced to hand out copies of his CV in the centre of Reading day after day. I asked him how it made him feel and you could tell just be looking at his expression how humiliating it was.
Another teenager spoke about being unemployed for two years, another said she was currently volunteering for four charities but she was still being turned down for lacking 'experience'.
The stories we heard from these young people were heartbreaking and I was pleased that the Chief Executive and the Leader of the Council were there to hear them.
We need to act now to invest in their future if we are going to avoid creating another 'lost generation' as Nick Clegg warned recently. I spoke at Lib Dem Conference on this subject as I feel very strongly about it.
It is a shameful waste of young talent to see these young people already technically 'long term unemployed'.
It's not surprising they find themselves having to turn to crime or drugs when no job presents itself. And the young people we heard from yesterday want to work and get skills to work.
As a speaker at the summit explained, we are predicting a drop by 25,000 of the number of low-skilled vacancies available in Reading over the next five years. School-leavers without skills will find it even harder to find work and they will be competing with many other older people.
Sinead Brennan, President of Reading University Students Union spoke eloquently at the event about the reality facing students and graduates - saddled with massive debts and fewer jobs when they graduate.
If students leave Reading when they graduate because there are no jobs or affordable houses Reading will lose out over the longer term. We cannot afford to let that happen.
While it is possible to be sceptical about what can be achieved at yesterday's summit I prefer to be slightly more positive and say it is up to us to use events like this to campaign for more support for the people who need it most.
We must set the agenda.We in the Lib Dems must champion these overlooked causes and not wait for the Labour administration who may not have the courage to act.
This week has been full of contrasts for me - if I get round to it I may blog some thoughts on yesterday's full Council.
As my colleague Glenn Goodall has pointed out already there was a lot of hot air from some of the usual windbags, alongside some good contributions. Including a very timely motion on child protection which my other ward colleague Kirsten was heavily involved in.
However, for me, the most valuable lesson this week has taught me is do not underestimate the contribution young people can make to the debate about the issues that matter here in Reading.
We overlook young people and the problems they are facing today in our Town at our peril.
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