Warwickshire News Mine

An experiment using OpenCalais and Google Maps to tag news stories

Which school has the debating ‘X factor’?

Young people in Warwick district will get the opportunity to demonstrate their ‘X factor’ by ‘taking part’ and ‘taking power’ in this year’s Local Democracy Campaign!

Myton School - A Specialist Science College and Kenilworth School and Sports College will be battling it out in the first of a series of schools debates around the county.

The school pupils will have the opportunity to make their views heard loud and clear on hot topics such recycling and reducing the voting age to 16.

It is the first of this year’s Local Democracy Campaign school debates and will kick off at 2pm on Monday 1st October in Leamington Town Hall. It will be followed by schools debate events in Nuneaton, Stratford, Atherstone and Rugby. The Warwick district debate has been organised by Warwickshire County Council and Warwick District Council.

Not Simon Cowell or Dannii Minogue, but a panel of judges made up of local Councillors including Cllr Andrew Mobbs (Conservative), Cllr Bill Gifford (Lib Dem), Cllr Bertie MacKay (Ind) and Cllr Mike Britland (Lab) will decide which school has demonstrated the winning ‘X factor’ in the debate! Chairman of Warwick District Council and County Councillor, Cllr Les Caborn, will chair the debate.

The star school from the Warwick district debate will then go on to take part in a grand finale at Warwick’s Shire Hall on Thursday 18th October, where they will try to reach their ultimate goal of being crowned Warwickshire’s school debating champions for 2007. 

The grand finale will be followed by a ‘Question Time’ session, giving an audience of young people the chance to grill local politicians including Mike Natrass MEP (West Midlands – UK Independence Party), Jeremy Wright MP (Conservative - Rugby & Kenilworth), Warwickshire’s Members of the Youth Parliament and Warwickshire County Councillors, Leader Cllr Alan Farnell (Conservative) and Cllr Tim Naylor (Labour - Leamington Willes).
Councillor Les Caborn said: “I am very pleased to chair the debate in support of the young people taking part and hope that it will foster their interest in local democracy and politics.”

Warwickshire County Council, in partnership with the county’s borough and district councils, will also be launching a number of political speed dating events, a young journalist competition and regular weblogs on the Warwickshire County Council website, http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/localdemocracy, as part of this year’s Local Democracy Campaign – more details to follow soon.