The building of shelters where young people can meet and socialise in the borough's parks could keep young people off the streets, according to the council.

The Mayor of Hertsmere, Councillor Stuart Nagler, announced last week that the council was considering introducing 'youth shelters' in a bid to tackle youth crime and nuisance behaviour.

The proposal is based on schemes elsewhere in the county, where young people have been encouraged to decorate open shelters and then take responsibility for them.

Mr Nagler also plans to establish a new forum group, made up of members of the local councils, to set up projects to address the needs of the young population.

Regarding the proposed shelters, Mr Nagler said: "Some young people are organised and like to attend sports and arts activities, but others just want to hang around.

"These shelters would be their own areas where they can go and do what they want, but because they would be open on one side there would be visibility."

He stressed that the council would have to be convinced that the shelters were safe places for young people to meet, and that they could be easily monitored.

Youth workers at the county council are already investigating the possibility of opening a youth cafe in Borehamwood, where teenagers could meet in the evenings.

The planned forum would work alongside the new Hertsmere Youth Network, which involves representatives of bodies such as the police, councils, the NHS and the county's youth offending team.

A forum, made up of councillors, would look at funding schemes to address youth problems, based on information about specific local problems gathered by the network.

Through the network, the NHS has already provided money for borough council-run dance classes, as part of a national initiative to improve the health of young people.

Young people from across the borough will be asked for their views on youth issues in the borough at a Democracy Day at the Civic Offices on Friday, October 18.

Sixth formers from all of Hertsmere's secondary schools will attend the event, where they will get the chance to question politicians, including Hertsmere MP James Clappison.

October 2, 2002 16:00