Vape danger letter success for Youth Council

Concerns about illegal vape sales to young people raised by members of Blaby District Youth Council have helped inspire legislation change at Government level.

At their recent annual conference Youth Council attendees wrote letters to local MP Alberto Costa highlighting the issue of vapes being targeted at young children.

Now the Member of Parliament for South Leicestershire has written back, acknowledging the letters and saying the Government is planning to enforce stricter controls on vape sales.

In his letter Mr Costa says: "I am pleased to inform you that both the Prime Minister and the Government have listened to the points you outlined in your letters and are acting upon your concerns to crackdown on the marketing of vaping produces aimed at young people.

"To this end, the Government will soon be closing a loophole that allows shops to offer free samples of vapes to children and they will also soon be introducing tougher fines for shops that illegally sell vapes to children.

"Further, the health risks of vaping will also now be included as part of the curriculum taught in schools, to ensure that more young people are aware of the dangers of vaping."

Vaping and its impact on the young is one of four core issues the Youth Council has been focusing on over the last 12 months, the other three being the green agenda, night safety and hate crime.

At the Youth Conference all four subjects were tackled with discussion and activities involving creating hate crime masks and videos, green agenda pledges and vaping posters as well as the letters to Alberto Costa.

Some 100 students from local schools also attended the day as a way of highlighting how it’s never too early to engage in politics and speak out on the burning issues of the day.

Teagan, the Chairman of the Youth Council, said: "We, as a Youth Council, believe that young voices are important. We are so grateful that Alberto Costa has not only listened to what we have to say but also worked to take action with parliament.

"The sale of vapes to young people has become an epidemic across England - we need to work hard to fight against this. We hope that education on the harm of vaping will soon become a part of school curriculums across our country to help young people understand why they shouldn’t be vaping. We intend to continue working with our local council members and Alberto Costa to influence this agenda."

Councillor Adrian Clifford, Blaby District Council’s Youth Champion, said: "This is amazing news and a great achievement by our Youth Council members.

"I’m privileged to work with these passionate young people and I have been continually impressed with their desire to tackle the issues which matter to them. This is a fantastic result and shows that dedication and belief in a cause can pay off."

Councillor Nigel Grundy, Blaby District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services and Assets, added: "It is fantastic to see our Youth Conference promoting youth voice and influencing Government. The Youth Council have underage vaping as an ongoing priority and are also working on an awareness campaign with NHS partners and local schools."

Councillor Adrian Clifford
Youth Council Champion

Councillor Nigel Grundy
Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services and Assets