Young people have been encouraged to share their views about London’s economy with local politicians. About thirty children from schools across the capital attended the Royal Society for the Art’s Economic Inclusion roadshow at Camden Town Hall. Labour’s London Assembly Economy Spokesperson, Fiona Twycross AM, was in attendance to hear their views on issues such as the cost of living and job opportunities.
Ms Twycross spoke with children and young people aged 15-19 to identify what they think can be done to make London’s economy more inclusive.
The students were drawn from schools with a higher than average proportion of students eligible for pupil premium. In a follow up survey, just over one third of children and young participating said they felt the most important issue facing London’s economy was housing.
Some of most pressing issues highlighted were the cost of education and the impact of poor housing on health, wellbeing and educational attainment. Solutions ranged from the improvement of higher level apprenticeships to ways to support self-employment.
Fiona Twycross AM, Londonwide Labour Assembly Member said:
“We live in uncertain times, but the decisions we take today will impact the future lives of our young people. We need our young Londoners to have the skills and opportunities to be able to live and work in the capital. This won’t just benefit them, it will also benefit our city’s economic growth.
It was great to hear directly from young people about their future concerns on jobs, education, the cost of living and housing. Our economy must work for everyone, including young people, so it’s essential that we continue to engage and encourage their participation when we’re making policies and taking decisions.”
Reema Patel, Programme Manager for the Citizens’ Economic Council said:
‘We felt it was essential to talk to young people on what they felt about their economic futures, especially in London where the cost of rent and cost of living is disproportionately affecting them. Economics is for everyone, including young people and we’ve seen today that they have really creative thoughts on these issues, and a unique voice that needs to be heard.
The day itself was incredibly rewarding – and we hope that some of the young people who participated on the day feel inspired to engage more actively in politics and economics as a result.’
Susie Dye at Trust for London said:
‘We at Trust for London were impressed by the contributions of the 30 young people who took part in the RSA’s Engaging Young Londoners workshop. Getting up to speed very quickly, they talked about the impact on them of the high cost of housing, poor conditions and overcrowding, their frustration at being paid less to do the same jobs as others, and their desire to see job creation through support for small businesses. It is great to have young Londoners speaking up as part of important discussions about the future of our economy, and we hope that the decision makers from the London Assembly and City of London who took part will take their views into account.’
Notes to editors
- The RSA interim report can be found https://www.thersa.org/discover/publications-and-articles/reports/emerging-findings-of-the-inclusive-growth-commission;
- Schools in attendance included: Clapton Girls’ Academy, Friern Barnet School, Frederick Bremer School, Kingsmead School, St George’s RC School, Saracens.
- Fiona Twycross is a Londonwide Assembly Member