YOUNG people in Petersfield feel they are being left out in the cold, claimed deputy mayor George Watkinson this week.

They say their needs are being ignored. They have nowhere to meet, nowhere to shop and nothing to do, Mr Watkinson told town councillors.

He spent four days last week talking to teenagers at The Petersfield School, in citizenship sessions he said were an Ôeye-openerÕ.

He was there as part of East Hampshire District CouncilÕs citizenship course, during which young people are taught about democracy, and at the end of it they meet town and district councillors to discuss what they like and dislike about the town.

Youngsters blame councillors for a town that they say Ôdoes not like youthÕ, Mr Watkinson told councillors at a meeting of the finance and general purposes committee last week.

Teenagers had misconceptions of who councillors were and their motives.

Mr Watkinson said the youngsters thought the councillors were all too old and over-paid, and they could not believe they did it for nothing.

He said they had told him they felt their needs in the town were ignored, with shops not stocking what they wanted and no cafes where they could socialise.

ÒI was stunned to think the children thought that we were responsible for what shops come to Petersfield,Ó Mr Watkinson later told The Herald.

ÒAll year groups said they felt Petersfield needed a Starbucks-style coffee shop. But Starbucks would have to have a catchment area before starting up and they had not thought about that.

ÒI promised them that I would pass comments on to councillors to get someone elseÕs opinions back to them.Ó

Mr Watkinson said he planned to put forward a motion to town councillors aimed at helping young people to put forward their views. He has also told town manager Steve Johnston that youngsters feel there are no cafes for them in the town.

In addition, he said, the youngsters had asked if they were allowed to attend any debates at the town council, as they would like to put their ideas forward on the skateboard park.

ÒIÕm glad I went,Ó said Mr Watkinson. ÒIt was a chance to prove we are not the ogres they think we are.Ó