Warwickshire News Mine

In one of a series of schools debates taking place around the county this month, Gabby Smith and Tom Wayne from Polesworth International Language College came out on top.

They narrowly beat their opponents from Hartshill School and The Coleshill School – A Maths and Computing College to steal victory after a passionate debate at Atherstone Town Hall.

A group of talented string musicians from Warwickshire County Council’s County Music Service welcomed schools and visitors to the event.

One of the group, County Music Service scholar Charlotte Hartshorn from Hartshill School, played to welcome the debaters before going into the Council Chamber as part of her school debating team.

The school pupils made a series of convincing arguments on hot topics such recycling and reducing the voting age to 16, which was watched and listened to by fellow pupils and councillors.

Not Simon Cowell or Dannii Minogue, but a panel of judges made up of local Councillors including county Councillor Richard Grant (Labour – Hartshill division) and borough Councillors, Cllr Les Smith (Conservative – Fillongley ward) and Cllr Brian Moss (Labour – Kingsbury Ward) decided which school had ultimately demonstrated the winning ‘X factor’ in the debate.

Richard Dobbs, Assistant Director of North Warwickshire Borough Council’s Streetscape Division, chaired the proceedings.

The North Warwickshire debate, which was organised by Warwickshire County Council and North Warwickshire Borough Council, is one of a series of schools debate events that have also taken place in Leamington, Stratford and Rugby.
Gabby and Tom will now 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), Warwickshire’s Members of the Youth Parliament and Warwickshire County Council Leader, Cllr Alan Farnell.

Warwickshire County Council, in partnership with the county’s borough and district councils, is also running 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.

Link to WCC