Brent Youth Parliament puts vaping on the agenda

Young people’s voices were at the forefront of local democracy when the Brent Youth Parliament took the lead in the council’s Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.

Their main concern was the selling of vapes with illegal substances to young people.

Representatives of the Brent Youth Council held several meetings with police, set up a stall at the Brent Safer Neighbourhood Board meeting, and lobbied the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to raise the issue with council leaders.

The Brent Youth Parliament is a youth council for young people aged 10-19 who live or study in Brent. The Youth Council represents the views of young people. Every year, they work on a campaign based on a topic chosen by peers.

In 2024, more than 3,000 young people in Brent took part in the UK Youth Parliament’s Make Your Mark ballot and voted for crime and safety to be the top issue.

Kenechi Ezeajughi, Deputy Chair of Brent Youth Parliament, said: “We wanted to raise awareness to the council of the different safety and health issues around young people vaping.”

“It's really important that young people are actively involved in local decision-making, so that we have a say on issues which affect us. We found the experience empowering because we were able to influence council policy on an issue that young people in Brent care about.”

“It’s great to be active members of the Committee. We would love to see more young people get involved in local democracy!”

Brent’s Youth Parliament representatives worked with the Chair of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee and successfully put vaping on the Committee’s agenda.

Their lobbying resulted in a recommendation to Brent Council to undertake further research on vaping with young people.

Councillor Dr Ketan Sheth, Chair of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee, said: “We know that people who vape are more likely to have breathing difficulties than those who don’t. The growing trend of vaping among young people is concerning, especially when illegal substances are involved. I am incredibly proud of the young people in Brent who have brought this issue to our attention, and for all their contributions to the Committee.”

If you’re interested in sharing your views about issues facing young people in Brent, please email: byp@brent.gov.uk