Fareham Y Cat meeting
16 November 2023 - Genesis Youth Centre
Y Services hosted Fareham Borough Council's (FBC) Leader Cllr Woodward, as well as Cllr's Hockley, Bayford, Walker and Burton, and facilitated an evening of discussion and questions with 25 local young people.
Two young people attended from Sarisbury Junior School to ask if FBC could build a pump track, as well as representatives from Y Services provision at Genesis, Crofton, and Oasis.
The evening was split into two sections, small groupwork discussion on issues that affect young people and an opportunity to ask questions to the Leader.
Groupwork discussions
Community safety
Areas young people don't feel safe
- Locks Heath skate park. Anti-social behaviour and vandalism; "would avoid especially during night"
- Portchester West x 2
- Portchester East (the peninsula)
- Warsash
- Whiteley – concerns regarding bike theft
- Hillhead
- Between Fareham West and Fareham South
- Between Fareham North and Fareham East
Areas young people do feel safe
- Locks Heath x 2
- Fareham North
- Warsash x 2
- Titchfield Common
- North of Sarisbury
- Recurring themes
- Would call parents or feign calls if didn't feel safe
- Don't feel safe using public transport at night
- Concerns about unprovoked confrontations, particularly around Violence Against Women and Girls
Leisure facilities
Where do you spend time when not at school?
- Home
- Y Services
- Volunteering
- Band
What do you think of Fareham leisure facilities?
- Holly Hill Leisure Centre 8.5/10
- Holly Hill play area safe area
- Leisure centres are expensive
- Skateparks – benches make it like a hangout, bins in the floor, vandalism
- Locks Heath – skatepark look tired. ASB. Need CCTV. Painted, use solar panels.
- Locks Heath – fire, rubbish, vandalism.
- "Don't like using the skatepark – not nice people!"
- Good facilities, would prefer concrete skateparks
- Abshot skatepark
What would an ideal youth space look like/feel like?
- Bean bags x 2, music, computers, internet
- Warm, confidential area, music room, sensory area, multi-colour, art space, simple colour, safe, welcoming
- Arcade machines, volunteering opportunities
- 'Spare home' – open space/friends/youth clubs/drama/library
- Like Genesis
- Supported by Y Services – nice staff/workers
How would you like to find out about events?
- Parents
- Social media – Instagram/Snapchat/TikTok x 3
- Y Services
- School bulletin
- Friends
Young people would like:
- To know more about Access All Areas
- Y Services should be promoted more
- Amazing facilities, need more maintenance on pitches
- Making water sports activity more accessible
- Skateparks to be improved
Emotional wellbeing
Who do you go to when you don't feel ok?
- Parents/carers/relatives x 3
- School or clubs
- Teachers
- Friends x 2
- Councillors/Therapist
- PCSO – Mr Kempster
- Samaritans
- Childline
Where would you like to talk to them?
- In a hub/safe space x 2
- CAMS field (shelter)
- Ping Pong Parlour
- Leisure Centre
- Holly Hill Park
- Home – comfortable space
- Online service – scripted questions
- Get independence – by going to doctor if needed
How does social media affect people's mental health?
- How you perceive yourself
- bad mental health
What should be in an emotional first aid kit?
- Fidget toys x 3
- Tablet – games/music
- Crystals
- Music (headphones) x 2
- Stuffed toy
- Pen/pencil/paper
- Chocolate milk/dark
- Blanket x 2
- Books (library) fantasy, horror, Jackie Wilson
Young people would like
- A counsellor for Genesis
- Quiet space
- A hub not presented as emergency services
- Mental health hub – number of places
- Support groups
- Not school venues
- More places to go for help (hub)
- Clean Holly Hill; lights, older part, safety aware, rail
- Communal place – somewhere warm, place for comfort, chill out place
- Promote more service areas
Transport
- Young people tend to walk, cycle, or get a lift from parents to school and other places
- Those who cycle used cycle paths or the roads and commented the paths were good, however there are potholes on roads that can be dangerous
- Most of those who used buses found they were unreliable, dirty, and expensive
- Others felt uncomfortable and worried about knowing where to get off
- Young people preferred using trains and found them reliable, clean, and reasonably priced. They mostly journey between Swanwick or Fareham, Whiteley, Fareham, and Southampton
- There is no bus route to Brookfield school which makes travelling there and back difficult
Young people would like:
- Easier to read timetables and better ways to access them
- More adverts aimed at young people
- Seatbelts on buses
- Disabled access
- Simplified ticket options for trains (what is the difference between each one?)
Q&A with Cllr Seán Woodward
Q. Should more be done to provide young people with mental health support?
Mental health and well-being support services are managed and delivered by the NHS. Cllr Woodward agreed it was very important for young people to know where they could go to get support.
Q. There isn't much for young people to do in Titchfield Common - should there be more?
Cllr Woodward mentioned the open space at Hunts Pond Road, Waypoint Church and the facilities it provides and Holly Hill where it has a leisure centre, outdoor gym equipment and MUGA.
Q. Can the Council provide money to make improvements to the Genesis Centre?
The Council spends money on providing the building, which Y Services are going to lease. This means any improvements to the inside of the building will be for Y Services to identify and make happen. The Council can provide support to find other funds they can apply for to help make these improvements.
Q. Why did you become a Councillor?
To make a difference that I could clearly see.
Q. Do you like what Y Services do?
We love Y Services! Youth provision is the responsibility of Hampshire County Council and when they pulled their support away, Fareham Borough Council stepped in to help.
Q. Can we have more lighting in Blackbrook Park
Residents don't like parks lit because more people gather there after dark and make noise. The Council has to balance lots of different needs. The place to start to explain your need is with your Ward Councillor, who can be found here.
Q. Is the Council doing any work to conserve the environment?
The Council has half a million trees that it looks after, along with areas of parks and woodland. When considering planning applications, it demands a Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment to detail how any impact of the plans will be counterbalanced by environmental measures and also considers how to balance the nitrates being produced by the scheme.
Q. How old were you when you became a Councillor?
25 – I stood as a Councillor at 24 but lost. I then won the following year!
Q. What can be done to make Fareham a better place?
Not to drop litter! We spend £1 million picking up litter each year. If we didn't have to do this, we could spend it on more exciting things. We recently bought Fareham Shopping Centre to improve it and make it more attractive and relevant to our lives. We're also opening Fareham Live next year which will be a great new entertainment centre. Money is always an issue but we're proud of our town and what we have achieved.
Q. The cinema and bowling alley all cost money. Are there any discounts to make them accessible for young people? A lot of young people have jobs but the minimum wage is £5.28 and costs are high in comparison.
Discounts are available. A real bargain is the Council's Access All Areas scheme over summer where you can book on 4 activities for only £10.
Q. Will you put more shops into Fareham Shopping Centre and support businesses?
In Fareham Shopping Centre a lot of the shops have closed down. In the last 5 years 85% of department stores have closed across the country, although we are lucky that many independent shops in Fareham West Street continue to thrive. The future of Fareham Town Centre will be leisure and housing with fewer shops as people shop in different ways online now.
Q. Paved surfaces in Fareham Town Centre are in need of repair. How do we get them fixed?
You can report these using an app called Fix My Street.
Q. Do you love diversity?
Yes!
Q. What is your proudest achievement as a Councillor?
Bringing Daedalus back from the dead.
Q. Why is there no bus service from Titchfield to Brookfield School?
The buses are run by private companies – if they won't make a profit on a route they can't run the bus for that route.
Q. Is it possible to have a hub for young people where they can go if there feeling overwhelmed or stressed?
This sounds challenging as it would need a venue. Could the youth clubs be used? If a charity would like to set up a service, the Council may be able to provide a shopping unit for free. We will think on this one!
Q. There are no sharps bins in Genesis for people with diabetes. How can we make the service more accessible? Also we need to know first aid!
The Council has a contract to empty sharps bins if Y Services get one. We will look at delivering a First Aid course for young people at Genesis.
Q. Woods tend to be peaceful so great for walking but don't feel safe as they are not lit. Can anything be done?
Although Holly Hill Woodland Park isn't lit, Coldeast Park is much less gloomy so people have choices of where they would prefer to go.
Q. What will you do to promote tolerance of diversity and reduce discrimination?
The Council is very supportive of equality and diversity, and even has a policy about this! You can find what the Council's equality objectives for 2022-2026 are here. In summary, we aim to understand the mixes of characteristics in our community, celebrate diversity and inclusivity and promote a culture of equality.
Evaluation
The vast majority of those present said they had learnt more about what Fareham Borough Council does, what the role of a councillor is and had felt listened to.
Actions from the Y CAT
- The Council will run a first aid session for young people at Genesis.
- Young people's feedback on what they would need from a youth space will be fed into the new leisure and community facility being planned for Fareham North West.
- Further work will be done to look at the 'community safety' views and see what action can be taken to make young people feel safer.
- We will look at possible locations for a pump track.