gathered in the house of commons for their annual debate. debate, the of the students talk about making transportation more affordable and accessible. it is about 30 minutes. >> the youth parliament will now consider the third motion of the day. cheaper, better and accessible for all. burton: a 16-year-old requires weekly doctors appointments that can no longer afford these journeys. would you helpe these young people? because right now you have that chance. the youth ago committee carried out a report on transport. voted thatng people we campaign on this issue once again. if an illness were diagnosed four years ago, would you stop the treatments today? let us use the evidence from the report to create a reinvented campaign. let the same for reforms such as a national scheme to prevent discounted travel for young people. similar to the young persons rail card. what we canestion really achieve on a national scale. let us use this to our advantage. naming the places where transport is accessible. showing the places where it is not. to put pressure on the government to bring back the youth committee. let us give transport another push, the final push it needs. more than is so much the buses, trains and expense. it leaves young people feeling deprived and disillusioned. as a child i couldn't wait to toerience a bus or train journey. worry about whether we can afford the bus to school .omorrow in 2008 the local transport act was passed and said that local authorities are required to consult young people on public transport. you have beenave given the chance to shape your local services? 2010 a national consultation found that one third of young people would continue an education or training is given the financial support. in 2015 the consultation has proven that young people are not content on the services. today we have the opportunity to restore the magic in a day-to-day necessity. we have the chance to make a difference and to make a change. tomorrow we can make young people's voices heard. [applause] i live in between leicestershire and leicester. we are dependent on our public transport to take us to school or to a part-time job. in leicestershire i know it is a real issue to get from one village to the next. we have been trying to work with our bus companies to try and make improvements. it may take a long time before we reach a good conclusion. however, if i live to one mile further north there the story is different because their transport is less of an issue. other issues are racism, mental health or a living wage. can this campaign really be a coordinated success if we all come from different places with different needs? the person sitting next to a have a difficult public transport network compared to you. different times and different prices. each community needs to tackle transport as a community nomination. transport takes time commitment and huge investment. four years ago transport was our national campaign yet i am not sure that much changed. i don't see how this year will be any different. we should be using the hughes committee recommendations instead of producing new ones. , how sensibleort are those demands? who will pay? we will be asking local councils to cough up more money. asking private companies to reduce their income. rmp's, theyobbied are unlikely to commit to this. maybe our efforts are better put elsewhere. in one area the demand is for more buses while in another the demand is to make the trams cheaper. areas they want and transport istwork a very important issue in some areas. it needs to be tackled but not nationally. this instead invest our time and into an area where each of us can make a difference. >> i believe in this motion city that ise in a the only city in the u.k. without a train station. why is this? because the politicians aren't bothered. this train station prevents us from accessing higher education elsewhere. young people cannot afford it. everyone should be accessible to education the matter where you are from. >> you have to forgive me. i come from mid scotland. in favor of the motion. but i do have some concerns. we are very strapped for cash. ,ow do we sustain as she said where do we find the money? how to refinance this? my counsel will not be able to afford this. if this was a nationwide issue we would be up the creek without a paddle. how do we expect companies to provide this. stress wording in the motion that i find issue with. rules?we enforce these how do you measure price and structure? is that to do with gruffness of bus drivers? is that a matter we have to deal with at the proper department? [applause] >> i am from kent in the southeast. i can't even explain how big it is. we have been campaigning for years on transport. which is why i am in support of this motion. you be so crucial to help us. it would be shared resources. it would mean everybody gets a chance to share the resources like buses, making it cleaner. travel if i was in a different area of kent it would take me 10 minutes to get to exits and east of england. it is not fair. transport needs to be better. so that all sorts of young people can access different areas of the country. and we can all become friends. >> a speaker from the west midlands. >> i resent the area of deadly in the west midlands. -- i represents the area of deadly in the west midlands. friends in london who get their bus transport for free. that is a lot of young people in england that we will be campaigning on. is that right? it is not. my second point is for the motion. i went on the buses and i was questioned for 10 minutes about my age. i was questioned for 10 minutes on a bus. is that acceptable for young people? this is not correct. those with your heart rather than what everybody says. wales? about thank you very much for all the work you've been doing to make sure we can be here today. [applause] mr. speaker, the motion that is before us today fails to take into account one fundamental matter. people use transport to get to school and to college and university, to wherever. the motions that are also on the paper are going to be focused around these places and colleges. if we can't ask to get to the schools, if we can't get to these colleges because the public transport system is so weak and so expensive, how on earth are we going to enact any of these other motions? my commute takes me two hours each way to get to college. it is a four-hour journey. i leave just after six in the morning. the trains go every hour and it is an absolute nightmare. i don't know why i'm still doing it but i want to do it. the train service that i'm going on is horrendous. a use not doing enough as parliament and is young people to campaign on these issues. the constituency that i represent in wales, it costs 90.e pounds i will close by saying in order to enact any of the other motions. had to ensure they are successful. this has to be done through schools. we need to make sure the young people get to these goals so that these motions actually can be successful in the first place. [applause] what about the northeast of england? my name is anna cooper and i represent northumberland. are 14 years old you have to pay an adult fare for a bus. , thei was 14 years old only money i had was pocket money from my mother. .y brother is 15 that is just around us. when you are 14 you are not an adult. that is despicable. a few years ago public transport was debated here. that was fantastic. people say it is a local authority issue. local authority issue than we should lobby and we should campaign to our councils to help us as if the councils don't have much control over it then why don't we do that to the operators as well. when we campaign to the operators to help us? if young people have to pay so much and they are going to use it less and less. home, we'll back at all use public transport. us to help them. we represent young people and young people use public transport every single day. it is up to us to help them. i carried out a campaign for two the one thing that stood out to me was the cost of travel is taking over my family. that was from an average student from a school in northumberland. that screams emotional. we need help and the only help they can get is from us to help them. if this is the national campaign, they tell decision-makers, they tell people in power, bus operators, this is pathetic, public transport needs help. young people need help to get to schools and socializing. thank you. [applause] i want to speaker from london. the one with the turquoise top. >> jazmin from the london borough of healing. ealing. we should have a new focus, something that is more of a national campaign that a local issue. young people face discrimination based on their skin color, their religion, it essentially appalling. we cannot let this continue. someone mentioned earlier, religious hate crimes are now over 3000 over last year. how can we let these injustices continue to increase while sitting back and not helping those most vulnerable in our society? that the campaign has given us the voice to have a voice but society says that our voice doesn't matter. it has given us the confidence to stand up for our beliefs but others say we should really have beliefs. given us the ability to make a change in society. let us all together grasp that change. those grasp the opportunity that we have. but his on helping those young people who face oppression. discrimination their daily lives. let us vote for ending discrimination because it is a choice of improving lives. [applause] how about a contributor from yorkshire? >> i am from wakefield east. consistently been appearing in the top five in make your mark. within wakefield east, west transports of becoming limited. those innovaro areas are struggling to get buses at a fair price. i live in a small town within wakefield and if i want to get the bus to school i have to take to buses. me six pounds a day. some will not even accept my bus pass. colleagues who spoke in this very chamber last year has to travel using a real card to university. this real card does not work so she has to pay full price every day. this is not fair and this issue needs tackling. >> we need to hear a contributor from the east midlands. shire.from lincoln school transport has been supplied mostly free in the u.k.. why is it mostly? you should be supplied it for free for educational reasons. >> what about the northwest of england. ? the young woman on the second row second in. >> i am from liverpool. public transport has improved a lot in my area over the last couple of years as a result of the work done by young people. that there should be more of a lyrical or regional campaign as opposed to a national campaign. the situation varies from area to area. [applause] a voice from the southwest. huge forest of people from the southwest. the woman in the second row. >> i am sarah staples from plymouth, the isolated city of the southwest. it takes us for hours on train to get to london. take buses for instance. for my5 pounds a month bus pass and i still have a bus the content me to work on time on a sunday. to differentel areas. we are lucky and plymouth. are more rural and don't have buses to get them anywhere. it is all of our fault. [applause] what about eastern region? i represent the good people of central suffolk and north ipswich. young people are expected to stay in education until they are 18 years old. has not provided any further funding to support transport for those who reach the age of 16. the only funding available is provided by the school which covers the bus fare. the problem is not solved. i live in a very rural constituency and many families have to drive just to get to the nearest bus to get to the nearest school. it was nine miles away. that is not something that many families can afford. it is eating into the budget of those are poor working income. i strongly feel the cost of the bus fares should be significantly reduced or scrapped altogether for post-16 graduates. having access to a facility in which you will be educated should be a right of all post-16 in united kingdom and if education is going to go up to 18, it should be government-funded as well. i look forward to living in a world that does not discriminate against those of different backgrounds to get to their place of school or work. how deep mom and dad's pockets are should not determine your grades. let's make it happen. [applause] pithy conclusion. we have run out of time and we need to wind up this debate. please give an enthusiastic ryan simpson from northern ireland. ryan simpson: transport is what we all rely on to carry out our daily lives. i havehis morning already been in a car train of the bus. i know the struggle. i know people some of my closest friends who have a two hour commute home from school every day. everyone can relate to it. in frequent services, constant changes, and even when the service does turn up it is at an inconvenient time. it is no use to anyone really. all young people feel the same. whether is trying to meet up with their friends in town. their schoolt to for college. it is civilly unacceptable. let us think realistically. could this campaign be achievable. with the exception of certain devolved institutions and their transportation networks, we are not lobbying the government. we are lobbying the transport companies that control the fares and some local authorities the control services. we've already seen the great disparity in transport across the country. authorities are in contrast to each other up and down the country. this will lead to uncoordinated campaign for success in one region to be a failure in another. we've done so much ready. in 2012 topic was transport. they have given us the guidelines for what campaign could entail. they've outlined the fair thresholds for children, accessibility for the disabled, world transport for those less people, and for young who suffer from the inability to pair for their fares. we have made up some ground so perhaps we can continue on. the localnforce transport act. this is legislation designed to involve young people in decision-making. there is no evidence of that. adult cite to raise the fair thresholds to 18 the way it should be. we can fight for more efficient routes into the countryside to help those who live in rural areas. transport campaign would be a never-ending journey. , who is no sejal timetable knows what potholes lie on the road ahead. when has that stopped us? we have campaigned on the living wage and mental health and all our other campaigns. it is our duty to strive to make the lives of young people better. politician fictional does share some advice on the subject. sense tot is common an idea try it. above all we must try something. on the campaign today you must remember that anyg people are vital to society and so was transportation. can our great nation the united kingdom survive one to vital parts of society cannot mix effectively? [applause] >> ryan, thank you for that. thank you to each and every one of you who has contributed. thank you for those of you who've been patiently waiting and have not yet been called. just before we go off for lunch, i want to acknowledge the presence of the honorable member for jarrow who came into parliament with me in 1997. stephen is here offering his support for the united kingdom youth parliament. thank you stephen. [applause] i know we are finishing a bit late this morning that i'm afraid we have got to try to keep in track so you do need to be back here from westminster hall where you are headed for lunch, that here at 1:30 p.m. i look forward to opening the proceedings. thank you for a great morning's debate. >> thank you all, it is a great honor to be here. i am pleased to be engaged with such a distinguished panel and i know that they are known to all of you, but just for the purposes of the record i would , like to acknowledge who is on the panel. we will proceed by way of posing some questions, asking our panelists to talk about some of the very crucial issues that we are all facing at this time. first, we have the honorable catherine -- she has been a public servant for over 20 years and been a part of the baltimore maryland city council. she is currently the majority leader that is the best politician for getting the job done by the city paper. she has been an entrepreneur by trade and currently also someone who has received the naacp legislator of the year award. we also have with us, the honorable gilda cobb hunter, she is with the south carolina house of representatives. she was the first african-american woman ever elected to a statewide office. she became the first freshman appointed to, and is now ranking member of the house committee. she is also the first to -- the first person of color ever to lead a legislative caucus. as has minority leader she has , been dubbed the conscious of the house. -- historic effort to build the first monument for african-americans at the state capital. she is also executive director -- serving orangeburg. we also have with us, the honorable carl heastie, the first african-american to serve as u.s. state assembly. he has worked closely with easily majority to develop a financial plan, a historic 1.8 million dollars investment in education. represents the 83rd district of northeast bronx and principal negotiator for minimum wage, which was historic and trendsetting. he has also been a champion of public health, estimates over the passage of law -- children under 18. that speaks volumes that you would even have to pass a law. he has also been a very strong proponent for victims of domestic violence. we also have, the honorable clem smith from the state missouri house of representatives. he's also for the -- he has also received his degree from columbia college and has been a long-standing member working in -- workingt assembly in the aircraft industry. he stands on the executive community, and also on the national labor caucus. we also have with us senator donne e trotter. he was elected to the illinois general assembly in he 1988. previously served in the house of representatives and served as chair of the joint -- illinois legislative black caucus. since then, he has championed health care for women and children, as well as laws banning assault weapons. i think we can all think about why that is particularly salient at this moment. witnessing the current events unfold. currently, he is a majority leader and chair of the appropriations community -- committee overseeing the budget. he is making sure that disadvantage communities are represented at the table. he has also been a leader and justice issues. finally, last but not least, we burbank whohris , was the director of the law enforcement engagement for the center of police and equity. chief burbank is recently retired, but is part of a ground breaking program, which is actually affiliated with one of my colleagues at ucla. it is the center for policing equity. my colleague teaches in the psychology apartment, has been a leader in speaking about ways of addressing bias in policing and