COUNCILLORS will be asked to approve the creation of a youth council next week.

Richmondshire Youth Council would be made up of 13 to 19-year-olds who would meet once a month to debate issues affecting young people in the district.

Students from the district's four secondary schools, members of Richmond Youth Club and the YMCA, have been meeting regularly as a task group since last October.

With guidance from district council officers and the member champion for younger people, Councillor Sheila Clarke, the group has created a draft constitution, which will be adopted if councillors from Richmondshire District Council agree when they meet on Tuesday.

A report to councillors says: "The youth council represents an opportunity to engage regularly and effectively with young people aged between 13 and 19, a group which has traditionally been thought to be hard to reach."

Officers say the youth council may receive an operational budget of £10,000 from the county council in the next financial year.