Epping Forest Youth Council again visited Parliament to meet with their local Member of Parliament, Dr Neil Hudson, to discuss their ongoing work on youth vaping and to quiz him on his priorities for young people.
Epping Forest Youth Council is elected by school children from across Epping Forest District to highlight critical issues facing young people and to advocate on their behalf. The initiative is supported by Epping Forest District Council.
The Youth Council toured Parliament before enjoying a workshop where they enacted a mock election, forming their own political parties and grilling each other on their policy positions, much like a real General Election.
When the Youth Councillors met Dr Hudson in July they discussed the widespread instances of under-18s using vapes and other tobacco products. From health issues, to disrupted sleep patterns, to children not being able to sit exams without the need to use their e-cigarette, initial reports of the impact growing numbers of children vaping are startling.
Since then Epping Forest Youth Councillors are undertaking a survey of their peers to see how widespread the issue of youth vaping is, in order to tackle it.
As such, Dr Hudson is passionate about making sure young people don't start using vape products designed to help adults quit smoking.
As Shadow DEFRA Minister, he had the honour of helping bring forth a ban on non-refillable and non-rechargeable vapes which he has fought hard for in Parliament. These disposable vapes have a low price point and are often brightly coloured and filled with enticing flavouring which combine to make the products incredibly appealing and available for young people. Watch his recent intervention here: Dr Neil Hudson MP gives first speech as Shadow DEFRA Minister to enact Conservative disposable vape ban | Dr Neil Hudson
Read more about Epping Forest Youth Council's visit to Parliament in Summer: Dr Neil Hudson MP welcomes Epping Forest Youth Council to the Houses of Parliament | Dr Neil Hudson
Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Epping Forest, said:
"Thank you to the Epping Forest Youth Councillors for meeting with me again, keeping me up to speed with the issues that matter for our young folk, and asking some really pertinent questions of their MP.
"Vaping is damaging to children's development and can instil long term nicotine addictions, so I was really pleased to hear Youth Councillors taking the issue seriously, and even helping me understand how widespread it is in our young folk.
"Having met the Youth Councillors before, I'm always so impressed by their insightful perspectives and know that Epping Forest's future is in good hands with these tremendous young people."
Diane Butler, Young Person’s Officer for Epping Forest District Council, said:
"The Epping Forest Youth Councillors enjoyed visiting the Houses of Parliament, taking part in their own SNAP election with the education team at the UK Parliament, and meeting with their local MP, Dr Neil Hudson. Dr Hudson took a Q & A, they also talked about their vaping awareness survey, being conducting in the Epping Forest secondary schools, and they talked about improving the public transport in the rural Epping Forest district.
"They all said the day was a fantastic and inspirational experience."
