Youngsters to have their say

Youngsters living in North Norfolk are being asked to share what is important to them in a new survey.

People aged between 13 and 24 can give their views on issues including transport, education, politics and the future in the survey being organised by North Norfolk MP Steff Aquarone.

Although North Norfolk has the oldest average age of any constituency in the country, almost 20pc of its population are below the age of 24, so the things that matter to them are important.

The MP has already raised the wider challenges facing young people in rural areas – especially those which can ultimately push them to leave the area to begin their careers elsewhere.

“Politicians have been guilty for far too long of having a lot to say about young people but not being informed by what young people have said to them,” he said.

“I want to make sure the young people of North Norfolk are being heard and feel well represented.

“I grew up in this area, and my own children are not far from becoming teenagers themselves. I do not want their generation to face the same barriers young people here have lived with for years. North Norfolk should be a place where young people can build a future, not somewhere they feel they have to leave.”

Steff’s survey will run throughout August, and the findings will be reported in the autumn.

“There are more than 8,500 people in North Norfolk aged between 13 and 24, and I hope to hear from as many of them as possible,” he said.

“Their challenges and their hopes for the future need to be taken on board by politicians like me and the decision makers who affect them.”

The survey is open to anyone aged between 13 and 24 who lives in the North Norfolk constituency.

Visit bit.ly/NNYoungPeopleSurvey to share your views.