Youth Parliament debates school measures to help save the environment

PUPILS from schools across West Somerset have formed their own Youth Parliament to encourage the district council to be more involved in the activities of local youngsters.
The ‘Parliament’ met in the council chamber at the authority’s new offices in Williton and issues surrounding the environment proved to the main topics up for discussion.
The youngsters were welcomed by council chairman Councillor Eddie May before other councillors gave them a tour of the new offices to show them the building’s carbon-reducing and environmentally-friendly features.
The students made presentations to their fellow pupils and to councillors to explain what they were doing in their schools to help the environment, as well as their future plans.
Projects already running included the West Somerset Community College, Minehead, funding schoolchildren in Uganda to fence off an area of their school to grow tea.
The tea is then sent to DJ Miles and Co, in Minehead, which packages it for the college students to sell as Free Trade tea at the college.
Funds raised are returned to Uganda to enable the African students to build new facilities at their school.
Minehead Middle School had been clearing soft wood trees to improve a local habitat for wildlife, while Knights Templar School, in Watchet, had its own vegetable patch.
Danesfield School, Williton, had paper recycling bins, composting facilities, low energy light bulb,s and a school woodland, while Dunster First School recycled its paper and had made a number of bird feeders, helping it to receive an EcoSchool Bronze Award in 2008.
For the future, community college students were to investigate how they could recycle plastic bottles, while St Peter’s First School, Williton, was going to carry out a lunch box survey to find out how healthy the contents were, and then produce a leaflet to provide recycling and food ideas for lunch boxes.
Minehead Middle School was looking at improving its composting site, planting trees in the school grounds, and keeping chickens to help students to learn how to look after animals.
Knights Templar wanted to use rainwater to flush toilets, put up signs to ask students to turn off taps, and to increase the amount it recycled.
Dulverton Middle School was going to refurbish its pond and make it deeper to take fish, while Danesfield School wanted to achieve its EcoSchool Bronze Award, and Old Cleeve School was interested in holding a Fair Trade tasting event and encouraging pupils to use Fair Trade products.
Minehead First School was also organising a healthy eating day on April 1, with smoothies, dips, and soups, and promoting waste-free lunch boxes, while Dunster First School was delivering a campaign to encourage students to walk to school and their parents to car share on the school run.
Ecoschool status was high on the schools’ agenda.
Porlock First School already had its silver award, and other schools were working toward their silver and bronze awards.
They unanimously agreed that every school in West Somerset should aim to achieve a minimum of bronze award before the next ‘Parliament’ session.
Councillor May said: “The pupils were a real inspiration.
“The environmental future of the planet is in their hands and they are taking the matter seriously.
“They are very well-informed, and I think it is fair to say that we learned a lot from them on the day.
“Their knowledge and enthusiasm is very impressive, and they are a real credit to their schools.”

• Our photograph shows Councillor Eddie May with some of the youngsters who attended the Youth Parliament. Photo submitted.

Income cut for pensioners is price worth paying to save economy says Lib Dem candidate

PENSIONERS and others in West Somerset who had managed to put away money in savings would have to suffer a loss of income for the greater good of the country, the district’s Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate said today.
Theo Butt Philip (pictured) was speaking after yesterday’s Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee’s decision to cut interest rates to a record low of one per cent.
Mr Butt Philip, who lives in Wells, said: “The bank was right to cut interest rates.
“It is a desperate, but necessary, measure.
“The current economic situation is a very difficult one, and this cut will not help savers.
“However, for the sake of the economy as a whole, it is imperative that we get people spending again.
“The interest rate cut alone will not be enough to see us through these difficult times.
“The Government must do everything it can to increase the flow of credit.
“That means temporarily nationalising those banks which are already majority owned by the taxpayer and directing them to increase lending.
“Furthermore, the Government should bring forward investment in capital programmes and in projects to protect the environment.
“By building more social housing, insulating our current housing stock, and investing in railways, the Government could create jobs, stimulate the economy, and create assets which will be of real long-term value to the country.”

New woman takes the helm for constituency's Lib Dems

FORMER Sedgemoor district councillor Marilyn Wallace (pictured) has taken over as chairman of Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency Liberal Democrats.
Mrs Wallace succeeds Janice Beasley, who lives in Cannington and who had been chairman for the past three years.
She was elected at the branch’s annual meeting of Bridgwater and West Somerset LibDems held in Nether Stowey.
Mrs Wallace, who lives in Chedzoy, said: “This will be an exciting and busy year as there will be both county council and European elections.
“We must also be prepared for a General Election when it comes.
“I am looking forward to working with our Parliamentary candidate Theo Butt Philip, our members, and supporters, and hope to encourage new people to join us in our social and campaigning events.”
Mr Butt Philip said: “Marilyn has been involved in the Lib Dems locally for many years as both an activist and a district councillor.
“Her experience will be invaluable.
“I would also like to pay tribute to Janice Beasley for the sterling work she has done as chairman for the last year.
“She has been a great source of strength and support to me and to the whole of the Bridgwater and West Somerset Liberal Democrats.”

Daniel lobbies MPs for better school support for diabetes

A MINEHEAD youngster was among more than 200 children and young people who were today lobbying of Parliament to ask MPs to improve support for pupils with diabetes in schools.
Daniel Mote, aged 12, travelled to London as part of a group of 36 youths from the Westcountry to join the Diabetes UK lobby.
The leading health charity is expecting at least 100 MPs to attend the lobby to hear about the inequalities in support for children with diabetes at school.
Although some children are excellently supported to manage their diabetes at school, others are not so lucky.
Some face a heart-breaking struggle, including no access to snacks during class, not being allowed on school trips, and being kept out of lessons unnecessarily.
This can have a directly damaging effect on their quality of life and education, as well as health.
Diabetes UK South West regional manager Jan Tyrrell said: “For every child with diabetes who does not receive appropriate support at school, a whole family suffers.
“We already know that the health and well-being of 83 per cent of children with diabetes is in jeopardy because they are not achieving recommended blood glucose levels, and we must do everything we can to help them.
“Schools have a vital role to play in changing this frightening statistic - and with an estimated 2,000 children being diagnosed with type one diabetes every year in the UK, action must be taken now.
“Diabetes is a serious condition that, if not managed effectively, can lead to long-term complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and amputation.
“Short-term complications of the condition include hypoglycaemic episodes, known as ‘hypos’, can lead to unconsciousness and hospitalisation if left untreated.
“However, effective diabetes management from the time of diagnosis can reduce the risk of these complications.
“This is why giving children the right support to control their condition from an early age is vital to protect their short- and long-term health.
“The Government needs to ensure that pressure comes from the top down to implement existing legislation so local authorities, primary care trusts and schools can work together to have effective policies in place to support children with diabetes – and actually adhere to them.
“Inspections and monitoring will play a vital part in this.
“It is appalling that some children with diabetes in the South West are not getting the support they need to live a full school life.”
To coincide with last week’s World Diabetes Day, Diabetes UK released ‘Making all Children Matter’, a report which looks at the current situation for children with diabetes in schools in England and what needs to be done to ensure they have the same opportunities as every other child.
A copy of the report can be downloaded at www.diabetes.org.uk/makingallchildrenmatter.

MP claims £55,000 more expenses than Prime Minister

LIBERAL Democrat MP Jeremy Browne was the most expensive of the Parliamentarians representing the Greater Exmoor area in the past financial year - claiming a staggering £55,000 more in expenses than the Prime Minister.
Mr Browne (pictured) cost taxpayers more than £200,000 during the 2006-07 year after claiming more in expenses than Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, his own party leader Sir Menzies Campbell, and even then-Deputy Prime Minister John ‘Two Jags’ Prescott.
On top of his £60,000-plus annual salary, Mr Browne was paid £143,176 in expenses, which included more than £22,000 for staying in London, more than £20,000 to run his office, and £87,000 for his staff.
The Taunton Deane MP put in expenses claims which fell only a few pounds short of the maximum possible he could receive for ‘staying away from home’ and for running his office, and he was actually just over the top limit for his staffing costs.
His Lib Dem colleague for North Devon, Nick Harvey, claimed a similarly staggering amount of expenses, totalling slightly more than Mr Browne at £144,687.
Meanwhile, West Somerset and Bridgwater Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger claimed £134,421 in expenses, while his Conservative colleague for Mid Devon, Angela Browning received £141,381.
By comparison, Mr Blair, who was then Prime Minister, received £87,342, Mr Prescott £115,013, Sir Menzies £123,617, Gordon Brown £134,586, and Tory party leader David Cameron £135,729.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance said MPs should be ‘ashamed of themselves’ for claiming so much in expenses.
Alliance chief executive Matthew Elliott said: “Families are struggling to pay higher tax bills while MPs are spending more and more of our money on themselves each year.”