Agenda and draft minutes

Noah introduced himself as the new Youth Mayor for the municipal year. 

All attendees introduced themselves.

Apologies received are noted above.   

Councillor Members of the Youth Cabinet are asked whether they have any interest in any item on the agenda and if so, to formally declare that interest.

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

The Deputy Youth Mayor to be elected by youth members at the meeting.

An election for the position of Deputy Youth Mayor was held. Rujeen was the sole candidate and presented her manifesto to the Youth Cabinet. A secret ballot was conducted, with votes cast on whether the Youth Cabinet supported her appointment.

It was agreed:

The Deputy Youth Mayor for the municipal year is Rujeen. She will assume the role of Youth Mayor in the following municipal year.

Each Committee is required to have a nominated Corporate Parenting Champion; they will receive training from Children’s Services and will be responsible for advocating for Corporate Parenting matters in each committee. Champions will be appointed by each Committee at their first meeting of the municipal year. If the representative wishes to also attend Corporate Parenting Boards scheduled for the municipal year 2026-2027 these are:

3 June 2026

30 June 2026

1 September 2026

1 December 2026

12 January 2027

2 March 2027

Jeanette Richards, Director of Children and Young People emphasised the importance of the Corporate Parenting Champion role. Councillor Members were asked to nominate themselves for the role.

It was agreed:

Councillor M Smith be appointed as Corporate Parenting Champion for the Youth Cabinet Committee.

The Minutes of the last meeting held on 31 March 2026 are attached.

It was agreed:  

1. The minutes from the meeting held on 31^st March 2026 were approved as a correct record.  

An update from GMP to be provided.

Chief Inspector Wright attended the meeting and provided a further update around a dispersal order in Bury Town Centre, which was discussed at the last meeting. The order would have affected youths wanting to come into the centre at the time. The issue was around retail theft by groups of youths, the youths involved were not Bury children and were using the tram network to come into the area. The incident was dealt with quickly.

Chief Inspector Wright asked if any of the young people had anything to raise with him.

In response to a Youth Member’s question regarding increased police presence in a particular area, Chief Inspector Wright explained that policing levels are increased in response to incidents. He queried whether there were specific concerns warranting a higher level of visibility. A Youth Member noted that police had previously attended local community groups and asked whether this practice continued. Chief Inspector Wright confirmed that community policing meetings take place two to three times per year in each ward across Bury.

Addressing Youth Members questions regarding youth crime, Chief Inspector Wright outlined that responses vary depending on the severity of offences, with pathways including youth offending services or custody. Each case is assessed individually based on multiple factors. He noted a reduction in youth crime.

In response to Youth Members questions about antisocial behaviour on the Metrolink, Chief Inspector Wright advised that a new specialist transport unit is now operating from Bury Police Station, with officers working both in plain clothes and uniform. He indicated that, due to their specialist role, they may not attend Bee Network meetings but he would feedback information from the meeting, if required. He encouraged young people to contribute ideas for addressing antisocial behaviour.

Jen Mills highlighted the partnership approach to tackling antisocial behaviour, noting alignment with young people’s priorities such as safe spaces, universal services and support programmes. She added that this work could be more widely communicated to young people.

Jen Mills further explained that services work collaboratively, with youth workers acting on information shared by police. She confirmed that she would liaise with the new transport unit.

Jen Mills also outlined the role of Police and Community (PAC) meetings, which bring together police, services and communities to address local issues. Adele Crowshaw and Heather Walton can represent the youth voice at these meetings. Further work will be undertaken to strengthen youth representation at PAC meetings, with a future update to be provided at the informal youth cabinet meetings. Councillor Ryder noted the value of these meetings.

In response to a Councillor’s question around careers within the Police, Chief Inspector Wright advised that there is information on the GMP website. Chief Inspector Wright outlined different pathways such as Police cadets, station visits, university courses, and administrative apprenticeships. Chief Inspector Wright spoke of how rewarding his own career experience within the Police has been.

In response to a Councillor question around trends in youth crime, Chief Inspector Wright acknowledged that he didn’t have any  ...  view the full minutes text for item YC.6

Jon Hobday, Director of Public Health to attended for youth led health discussions.

Jon Hobday, Director of Public Health attended the meeting. In response to Youth Members questions around school nurses, Jon Hobday advised that feedback would be provided to the school nursing team regarding improved promotion of their services. He noted that school nurses are often engaged in appointments throughout the day and that general health information is available online.

A Youth Member raised concerns about wellbeing questionnaires requesting pupil names and suggested that they be anonymised. Jon Hobday explained that the public health service does not have control over these, some schools have the discretion to buy in additional support, Jon Hobday agreed to relay the feedback.

In response to a Youth Member’s question around vaping, Jon Hobday explained that an update was brought to the Circles of Influence meeting and confirmed that there is training for professionals alongside a comprehensive awareness-raising plan.

In response to Youth Members questions around obesity, Jon Hobday explained that obesity is a big problem in Bury and nationally. There is the national measurement programme in place which measures children in YR and Y6 of primary school. Currently there are approximately 40% of Y6 pupils that are classed as overweight or obese. The measurement programme records a child’s height, weight, ethnicity, age and the school. Data from the programme is looked at to find trends and contributing factors. Jon Hobday explained that parents are told if a child measures as overweight via a letter which outlines support and there is an option to opt-out of the programme. He emphasised the importance of creating healthy environments and outlined ongoing work, including supplementary planning documents, the obesity alliance, and targeted professional support. He also highlighted school meal standards, noting that meals provided through Bury Council are freshly prepared.

In response to a Youth Member’s question around support for children who are underweight, Jon Hoday advised that the school nursing teams can support underweight children.

In response to questions around obesity and delivering education around this in high schools, Jon Hobday clarified that information from Public Health focus on maintaining a healthy weight rather than weight loss. Jon Hoday explained that it was up to each school how they deliver this information in the PHSE lessons and that there was no commissioned service from Public Health for education in schools around healthy weight.

It was agreed:

1. Jon Hobday to provide feedback to the school nursing team regarding improved communication within schools.

Heather Walton, Youth Participation Worker explained that since the Circles of Influence Event,  the first meeting was held in May 2026 to look at the key findings from the event. At the meeting attendance from partners was positive and felt that the meetings are going well. The next meeting is scheduled for September 2026.

Tobias provided an update on behalf of the Changemakers. Since the previous meeting, they have contributed to a collaborative NHS video on changes to the ASD diagnosis pathway, including scriptwriting and filming. The video has been approved and will be published on social media.

They have also completed the national consultation on the government white paper “Putting Children and Young People First,” relating to SEND reforms.

Changemakers have contributed to the co-production of the SEND Charter and are involved in developing the Short Breaks Duty Statement in an accessible format.

Tobias confirmed that the Changemakers Instagram account is now active burychangemakers and asked for members to follow the account.

Noah enquired about establishing a Youth Cabinet Instagram account; Adele Crowshaw confirmed that a new account would need to be created.

Jeanette Richards reiterated the importance of early identification of SEND needs to support positive outcomes.

It was agreed:

1. To thank the Changemakers for their hard work.

The Youth Parliament Member to provide an update on their activities within their role.

Tobais and Hannah provided feedback on a recent North-West networking event. Discussions included the government bill around lowering the voting age to 16 and the importance of more political education in schools. Youth Parliament Members proposed distributing a survey to pupils to gather evidence supporting increased political education within the PSHE curriculum. They will continue to advocate for political education within their roles.

Adele Crowshaw provided an update on the “Make Your Mark” campaign, noting that a regional campaign is being conducted in the North West, coordinated by Salford Council. Each locality is required to submit two priority issues for young people.

A vote was held, and Bury Youth Cabinet agreed to submit:

Political Education & Media Literacy

Hate Crime & Anti-Social Behaviour

The next Greater Manchester Youth Combined Authority meeting will take place on Tuesday 9^th June. An update from this meeting will be provided at the next Youth Cabinet meeting.

The next Bee Travel Network meeting will take place on Thursday 4^th June, with an update to follow at the next Youth Cabinet.

Due to time constraints, this item has been deferred to the next meeting.

A Youth Member raised a safety concern regarding a steep drop in the Chesham area. Jeanette Richards requested that details be submitted via email and confirmed that feedback would be sought from the relevant officer.