To receive a presentation from students from Trafford College.

Three students from Trafford College named Laura, Ann, and Liberty who were all members of the Equalities Council and the Green College Assembly. Each student presented information to the Committee on issues that concerned them.

Laura informed the Committee of the advantages of having a healthy lifestyle. Laura suggested that reducing the cost of gym membership for the under 20’s would go a long way to encourage a fuller involvement in sports activities, reducing stress, improving mental health and an altogether better lifestyle, which would lead to more happiness and reduce the risk of disease.

Councillor Maitland was not aware that a student discount was not available at leisure centres and asked Laura if they were having to pay the same as adults. Laura answered that young people under twenty, including students, were having to pay the same as working adults. The Executive Member for Children’s Services thanked Laura for coming and providing the Councillors with the information, as she had learned a lot.

Ann spoke to the Committee about the cost of transport within Greater Manchester from a student’s perspective. The Committee were informed of the importance of public transport for students and the costs associated with using the service which ranged from £50 to £80 a month. Ann explained how the tram was a far better way for young people to commute to college, but it was very expensive. Busses were cheaper but the routes and frequency meant that the journey took far longer. Ann proposed that the “Our Pass” should be extended to include trams as well as busses to aid young people to attend college.

Councillor New agreed with Ann about her comments on the issues with the public transport system. Councillor New added that Partington was a particularly stark example of having a lack of public transport options, with only one bus route for the whole community. Councillor New thanked Ann for bringing people’s attention to the issue and suggested that Ann support and look to be involved with the plans to improve public transport suggested by the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Liberty spoke to the Committee about climate change and noted the council’s plan to be carbon neutral by 2038 and the government’s plan to be carbon neutral by 2050. However, Liberty stated that those plans were not enough to keep the global temperature to less than 1.5 degrees. Liberty informed the Committee of actions individuals and the council could take in order to reduce carbon emissions, which included switching to LED lights, making sure new builds were more energy efficient, installing solar panels on new builds, and improving recycling.

Councillor Maitland agreed with Liberty’s points and spoke of the ways that she was trying to address her carbon footprint. The Executive Member for Children’s Services thanked Liberty for expressing her points about the threats of climate change and the actions that could be taken in a very powerful way.

The Chair thanked Laura, Ann, and Liberty for bringing those very important topics and their suggestions to address the issues to the Committee’s attention.

RESOLVED:

1)    That the information be noted.

2)    That Laura, Ann, and Liberty be thanked for attending the meeting and for bringing the issues and their suggestions to the Committee’s attention.