Young people entered the hallowed chambers of the seat of power in Tavistock to meet the mayor for an informal visit and help give them a community voice.

Members of Tavistock Youth Cafe (TYC) were welcomed into the wood-panelled Tavistock Town Council Chamber as part of a new initiative by mayor Cllr Anne Johnson to open up the corridors of influence to younger people and demystify local government.

The visitors, aged 12 and 14, from the café’s Our World Our Voice group were given an exclusive peep behind the curtains of decision-making on Wednesday last week (September 30).

Far from being overawed by the trappings of power (which included two silver maces, colourful historic shields of historic local landowning families and gold lacquered honour boards) the young visitors got into the spirit of debate by having a lively discussion about local democracy,

The worldly-wise youngsters discussed the issues that matter to them and the part they could play in Tavistock’s future with Cllr Johnson and deputy mayor Cllr Jeff Moody and his wife Cllr Beverley Moody.

The visitors had a taste of what it was like to take part in the town council by sitting in the councillors’ seats and learning how the authority works, how decisions are made and how councillors represent their community.

There was no shortage of questions. The conversation ranged widely, from politics and local services to mobile phone access, the responsibilities of service providers and artificial intelligence.

Cllr Johnson said: “It was a real pleasure to welcome such a bright and engaging group from Tavistock Youth Cafe. We wanted them to discover how their town council works, but just as importantly, we wanted to hear about the issues that matter to them.”

Cllr Jeff Moody said: “We are only the temporary custodians of the town council. It was wonderful to see these young people sitting in the councillors’ seats, because one day those seats could be theirs — making decisions and helping to shape Tavistock’s future.”

The afternoon also gave the visitors a chance to explore Tavistock’s civic history.

Cllr Beverley Moody, a former town council mace bearer, introduced the young people to the council’s historic maces and explained their ceremonial role and history. She said: “The council’s maces were a gift from the fourth Duke of Bedford, dating back to 1761. They are a wonderful link with Tavistock’s history.

“Giving the young people the opportunity to handle them and hear how the mace developed from a symbol of protection into part of our civic tradition really brought that history to life.”

The visit forms part of a programme launched by Cllr Johnson, when she took on the mayoral role earlier this year. The idea is to welcome school and youth groups to the town council and give young people a chance to not only learn about local democracy, but to make their own voices heard.

The councillors thanked Vicki Lloyd-Walsh, Tavistock Youth Cafe manager and her team for bringing the young people to the special event and helping to make the afternoon such an enjoyable and worthwhile one.