THE highlight of my constituency week was attending a passionate and thought-provoking young people’s debate held in Leyburn.
Two teams from The Wensleydale School battled it out in a discussion about what, if anything, should be done by the town council for the community’s young people.
The debate was part of the process of drawing up a town plan for Leyburn and was a great way of getting the community’s youngsters involved.
And as I told a packed Oak Room at Thornborough Hall, after a spending a lot of time in the House of Commons chamber in Westminster, it was a pleasant change to witness such a well-organised, well-behaved and thoughtful exchanges!
The contributions of the two teams - James Allen, Sam Maunder, Imogen Hayden, Emrys Lawton, Rosalind Monaghan and Millie Beaton marshalled by time keeper Abigail Spenceley and chaired by Wenselydale's assistant head teacher Charlie Barnett – was impressive.
There were some excellent examples of using facts to good effect, thinking on their feet when dealing with interventions and witty humour.
After a vigorous debate with the teams fielding several questions from the floor, the motion: “This House believes that the town council should create more economic and social opportunities for young people” was carried by just five votes.
The debating style was quite formal and not dissimilar to the way we debate matters in the House although as I suggested earlier it was rather more orderly than sometimes is the case in the Commons chamber.
For example, getting the opportunity to speak in the House of Commons is not always straightforward. In a packed chamber with many MPs wanting to have their say, the trick is to catch the eye of the Speaker of the House, who chairs debates and calls on MPs to contribute.
If you have watched Parliamentary debates on television, like the weekly Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, you will have seen MPs repeatedly standing up from their seats in their attempt to gain the Speaker's attention. It's known as "bobbing" and it can certainly keep you fit!
In congratulating all who took part and organised the Leyburn debate, I stressed how important it was for young people to make their voices heard.
It is a dispiriting fact of Britain’s recent electoral history that young people are not using their votes. In the 2015 General Election, only 43 per cent of people aged 18-24 voted, compared with almost 80 per cent of those aged 55 and over.
The danger is that, if young people don’t engage in democracy, the way we run our affairs, in Leyburn or Westminster, doesn’t adequately take into account the needs and desires of younger people and that’s not good for the future of our country.
So it was hugely encouraging to see and hear The Wensleydale School students contribute so enthusiastically – and to make their vote count.