Solihull pupils take part in Question Time for Local Democracy Week

Students from Solihull School took part in a special local edition of Question Time this week.

Every year, pupils from local schools take part in a Question Time session as part of Local Democracy Week, which aims to raise awareness about local government and encourage interest in local politics. The session, based on the long-running topical debate programme, was chaired by the Mayor of Solihull and held in the Solihull Council chamber.

Along with the Mayor, the panel also included councillors from four different local political parties. In attendance were Councillor Andrew Burrow (Conservative Party), Councillor Max McLoughlin (Green Party), Councillor Sarah Phipps (Liberal Democrats), Councillor Hazel Dawkins (Labour Party) and special guest panellist Eileen Schofield, Solihull Chamber of Commerce President.

The panel answered questions on topics including social media and election campaigning, the economy vs environmental responsibility and university tuition fees.

The Mayor of Solihull, Cllr Shahin Ashraf MBE, said: “It was fantastic to chair this year’s local Question Time session and see so many bright young students engaging with local councillors on topics that they feel passionately about. It’s so important that we have events like this as part of Local Democracy Week to help spark interest in local politics and inspire young people to get involved in democracy at every level.

“Sessions like these where we invite local pupils into the Council chamber for their debates are perfect for raising awareness of how local government works and how important decisions get made. I was very impressed with the range of questions that the students came up with and I hope that, for some of them, this is only the beginning of their promising political careers!”