Young people turn the spotlight on Gwent’s leaders

Children and young people have put their questions to public sector leaders at the Police and Crime Commissioner’s annual Gwent Youth Question Time event.

Gwent Youth Question Time is hosted by members of Gwent’s regional youth forums and gives young people an opportunity to have their questions answered directly by decision makers.

This year’s panel included the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Eleri Thomas; Assistant Chief Constable of Gwent Police, Mark Holbrough; Johanna Robinson, National Adviser for Violence Against Women; and Carol Andrews, Youth Champion for Caerphilly County Borough Council.

More than 70 young people took part and themes for the evening included the safety of women and girls, mental health support for children and young people, and concerns about vaping.

Youth Question Time was established by Police and Crime Commissioner Jeff Cuthbert in 2019. He said: “Police and Crime Commissioners are elected to be the voice of the people and this is one of the ways we are working to ensure that young people have their voices heard by decision makers in Gwent.

“This was another fantastic event, and I must thank the young people involved for their hard work, Caerphilly County Borough Council for hosting the event, and everyone who took part on the evening for helping to make it such a success.”