CHILDREN piled the pressure on politicians in a topical question and answer session. 

Millom School played host to leaders from Copeland Borough Council who were put through their paces on some of the biggest issues facing people in Britain. 

Mike Starkie, elected mayor of Copeland, was joined by Lena Hogg, leader of Copeland’s Labour Group, and David Moore, leader of Copeland’s Conservative Group, as they answered questions from Millom teenagers. Gary Hartley, assistant headteacher at the school, invited the councillors to visit and asked the pupils to formulate their own questions to ask their council leaders. He said: “I went into three tutor groups and there was quite a lot of passion in the room. The amount of kids that were getting involved was great and there was a lot of kids engaging and asking questions.” The students decided to quiz the councillors on topics ranging from national issues such as the EU referendum, national politics and apprenticeships, to matters affecting the town such as the desire for a skate park or better transport. All three councillors had high hopes for the town as Copeland Borough Council continues to make strides with its regeneration plan for the borough. With preparations being made for a nuclear new build that will feed £10bn into Copeland’s economy, council leaders are hoping to feed off this investment to make vital improvements to the borough’s infrastructure. Talking about transport links in the town, Cllr Moore said: “I know NuGen’s preferred travel to work method is rail and they will be bringing in all their materials in this way. “We will be working closely with NuGen to try and make sure there will be huge improvements made to our rail service.” Cllr Hogg also highlighted the importance of attracting new high street stores and hoped the investment would help regenerate the face of Millom. The councillors’ visit is part of the council’s strategy to be a wide-reaching authority that provides an accessible service to all members of society. By holding regular meetings in all corners of the borough, including Millom, the council hopes to integrate as many people as possible, including young people. Cllr Starkie said: “We want to make the council a lot more accessible. “If we hold meetings, then people can raise any issues and we can start to build a relationship.”