Imagine what a brand new youth facility in Harlow might look like?

 That’s exactly the question I put to students at Stewards School this Friday when I conducted the first in a series of focus groups with young people on improving youth facilities in the area.

Ahead of its Children’s Plan due for publication this year, the Government has announced that it wanted unclaimed money that had been lying dormant in bank and building society accounts for years to be reinvested in the community to fund bigger and better youth services. I felt this was a fantastic opportunity for Harlow and I thought what better way to scratch the surface of how young people feel about the area than to go out and ask them themselves.

Harlow will have the chance to benefit from a £420 million fund to pay for a youth project such as skate parks, basketball courts, and music workshops. It forms part of a wider £679 million package to improve young people’s services in the UK.

It was great to hear their ideas. Everyone had something to say, and not everyone agreed with one another! Throughout the sessions I was proud of how engaged the young people were in building a better Harlow, and in building new facilities for generations of young people to come. The groups picked a clear favourite and representatives from every group will then be instrumental in forming the main proposal to bid for the money.

Locally I recognise how important it is to keep thriving youth facilities open in the area. I am leading the campaign to save The Square, and earlier this year I led the petition to to protest about its closure. I have secured £11 million in funding as part of the Gateway Project, part of which will be used to fund the new football stadium at Barrows Farm, the athletics track at Mark Hall School and a new combined sports centre and swimming pool. But while improvements have been made, there is always more to do. I give you my promise that I will continue to campaign strongly for more youth facilities in the area.