Steve welcomes National Citizen Service Bill
Steve Reed has welcomed legislation to expand the National Citizen Service, which offers volunteering courses for young people aged 16 and 17.
As Shadow Minister for Civil Society, Steve led Labour’s response to the National Citizen Service Bill. The Bill is now set to clear the final stage in the Commons before becoming law.
Over 300 young people from Croydon North took part in NCS last summer. NCS offers young people a four-week course designed around living, working, and volunteering with others from different backgrounds. Applications for the Summer 2017 programme are open here.
Opening the Committee stage of the Bill, Steve said:
This Bill will play a very important role in the life of the country going forward.
It is important that young people are given the chance to develop skills and interests that will support them well through the rest of their lives—not just into employment, although of course that is a primary concern, but for their wider well-being and for the enjoyment of their lives and leisure time, enabling them to make a positive contribution to society, of which each of them is a very important member.
Steven Reed is Labour MP for Croydon North and Shadow Minister for Children and Families. In 2018 his private member’s bill on reducing violent mental health restraint became law. In June 2019 he launched Labour’s civil society strategy outlining radical plans to empower citizens and communities.
Steve chairs the Cooperative Councils Innovation Network, co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for London, was Leader of Lambeth Council 2006-12 where he led the council’s children’s services to become best-rated in the country and pioneered the public-health approach to tackling violent youth crime. He worked in publishing for 16 years and was an elected trade union branch secretary.