To receive and note the questions asked and statements made from members of the public on issues relating to the responsibility of this Forum.
Members of the public and visiting councillors may speak at the Forum, provided they have registered to speak three working days in advance. Please contact Democratic Services by 5pm on Tuesday, 4 November 2025 via democracy@winchester.gov.uk or (01962) 848 264 to register to speak and for further details.
Minutes:
Ian Tait and Madeleine Durie (Chief Executive Officer, Youth Options) spoke during public participation, and a summary of their comments are set out below:
Ian Tait
He considered that there had been a lack of progress in the regeneration of Central Winchester, with particular reference to the derelict state of the former R.A.O.B Club building in Cross Keys Passage, noting to the previous planning application to develop the site which was refused by the planning committee in September 2024.
He stated that he had attempted to track regeneration progress through various websites and via council papers which he suggested had not been updated in some time and stated that the last Cabinet Committee: Regeneration took place in October 2024 with no further meetings scheduled.
In response, Councillor Tod stated that a number of public events had been held during July 2025. These had been well publicised with further to follow in due course. Up-to-date information was available on the Jigsaw: Partnerships and Places website relating to the regeneration project and access links to information boards were also available on the council’s website, including an option to sign up for electronic newsletters. Councillor Tod agreed to forward these details on to Mr Tait for his reference.
Madeleine Durie
Addressed the forum in her role as Chief Executive of Youth Options regarding the organisations work within Winchester, the challenges faced and the need for continued support for young people, making particular reference to the following points:
· Youth Options taking over youth work responsibilities in Winchester from Street Reach for the past 18 months having worked together previously.
· Secured funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to include two additional nights of street-based youth work within the town centre this month.
· The varied services offered by Youth Options which included targeted support for children and young people, as well as street-based youth work. Working with schools providing one-to-one support, progression opportunities and training and employment programmes for young people not in education, employment or training (NEET)
· Subject to funding, Youth Options hoped to be able to offer programmes to NEET young people in the Winchester area.
· A youth club was currently held at Unit 12 in Winnall, which had proved successful with high attendance. However, as this space was a shared amenity with other users it was not adequate for future use. Youth Options were actively seeking new space in central Winchester to offer young people drop-in support. On-going youth support for young people was considered critical, and the importance of the safeguarding role of youth workers in bridging the gap between teachers, parents and the police in providing advice and guidance. It was requested that this continued to remain significant during Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).
In response, the forum raised a number of comments and questions which were responded to by Madeleine Durie, these related to the need for enhanced collaborative working practices at local level, the need for an accessible, central, adequate sized safe space for young people, the continuation of crucial community based prevention work for young people, the diversity of youth needs, supporting young women and girls in safe spaces, linked dialogue with the police and the council’s community safety team regarding anti-social behaviour, and details of the Millbrook project, a successful well used facility funded by significant government grant. This enabled the refurbishment of a purpose-built youth centre facility approximately a year ago, which had also generated income by other service users who rented the facility when it was not utilised by Youth Options.
Councillor Westwood thanked Madeleine Durie for her comments and suggested Youth Options linking with other organisations and businesses such as Chesil Theatre (Stephanie Danby, Chairman of Chesil Theatre also present at the meeting) who had similar aims and aspirations to engage and enhance capabilities for young people in central Winchester.