SMOKING in public, dog mess, tree planting and skate park improvements were just some of the pressing matters discussed at a first junior town council meeting in Clevedon.

North Somerset Times: Pupils with Chairman Pat McNeill, Vice Chairman Nick Pennycott and Town Clerk Paula Heath.Pupils with Chairman Pat McNeill, Vice Chairman Nick Pennycott and Town Clerk Paula Heath. (Image: Archant)

Pupils from Yeo Moor Primary School went to the town council offices in Old Street on Thursday to put forward issues they think should be investigated by their senior counterparts.

The meeting was organised after pupils wrote to councillors with concerns about the amount of litter and dog mess they see near their Kennaway Road school everyday.

It proved a huge success, with pupils making a great impression on councillors who now hope to hold similar sessions for other schools in Clevedon.

Town council vice chairman Cllr Nick Pennycott said: “It was brilliant. Once they got started the children were asking questions all the time.

“It was a very worthwhile meeting with some of the ideas to be taken on by the main council.”

One proposal put forward was for a smoking ban to be introduced in areas used by children, such as play areas and routes to schools.

Pupils also asked whether a smaller skate park could be installed alongside the existing seafront facility for younger children to use and whether more floats could be made available at Strode Leisure Centre swimming pool, maybe for a small rental fee.

They also asked for a pedestrian island to be installed in Moor Lane, where many families cross to get to and from the school, a scheme already being investigated by the town council.