COUNCILLORS have said that more is needed to be done to “reach out” to young people in Wellington who might be struggling with mental health issues, writes Steve Sowden. 

Peter Joint, the Community One Team co-ordinator, spoke with members of Wellington Town Council’s policy and resources committee on April 17 about its children and young people’s wellbeing group and plans for future youth provision in the town. 

Mr Joint said that a survey conducted among young people had not resulted in a big response and he was keen to get “focus groups” up and running in schools to learn more about youth services were required. 

“There is a lot going on, but we only meet once every four weeks – although there are a lot of positive signs to suggest that some really good work will come out of this,” he said. 

He added that a lot of issues already identified among local young people came under the mental health bracket. 

Cllr Marcus Barr said that young people were no longer “going out and having a laugh” and instead were “locked in their bedrooms on their Xbox machines” which probably did not help with their mental health. 

“We are letting these young people down because there is nowhere for them to go and interact with each other,” he said. 

“I’m also worried that Wellington has a drug problem among young people and I would like to know what the One Team is doing about that?” 

The Mayor, Cllr Mark Lithgow, disputed the suggestion there was nowhere for young people to go in Wellington. 

He said there were plenty of clubs and groups for young people to get involved in, but admitted that some had “fallen through the nets.” 

Cllr John Thorne replied by saying that if Wellington had such great facilities for young people, why were they discussing what to do with that age group? 

“I thought we were going to be discussing a new youth centre for Wellington rather than mental health issues,” he said. 

Cllr Andrew Govier said that a youth centre provided young people with an “informal setting.” 

And he added: “There is a fundamental problem. You used to go out and see hundreds of children playing on the fields, but there isn’t that interaction now. 

“These days you see all the children going to school and then none of them out playing after school. 

“The youth centre did good work in keeping those who could go off the rails from actually going off the rails.” 

Cllr Barr said: “I’m thinking about those young people who have troubles at home and those who don’t want to join specific clubs and those children who are told at home to 'get outside'. There are quite a few children out there who are left to their own devices.” 

Cllr Mike McGuffie said that some parents were worried about letting their children out because of safety. 

Cllr Thorne suggested that the council should investigate holding a disco once a month on the Playing Field in Wellington in a marquee. “That is what they want to do and that is what they are missing,” he said. 

But the Mayor, Cllr Lithgow, disagreed and said he could not always take what Cllr Thorne suggested seriously. The Mayor said having a disco on the Playing Field would be “carnage.” 

But he added: “I can remember as a young lad just wanting to hang out in the town centre without being told to go to a youth club. Some young people are ‘unclubbable’ and just want to hang out.” 

Cllr Kieran Canham said: “Young people want something to do and young people want somewhere to go – there is no space in the town for them to be with their friends. 

“We need to reach the young people who we really need to reach. We need to reach out to the right young people and the young people who are hardest to reach.” 

Mr Joint, from the Community One Team, added: “I wish we could solve all the problems just like that, but we can’t do that.” 

He said that times changed and they needed to get the voice of young people to see what they actually wanted. “We say that a youth centre would be packed, that might have been the case years ago, but would it be packed now?” he asked.