YOUNGSTERS in a rural area are demanding a bigger say in council affairs.

Councillors and officers in Ryedale have talked to young people to get their views on the way the area is run.

The youngsters said they want to be more involved in influencing council policy and to work with the authority to create a vision for the younger generation.

Representatives from a range of other organisations were involved in the probe. They included the YMCA, Ryedale Child and Youth Projects, Voluntary Action, Special Families, community education, the police, and county business and education partnership.

The recommendations of the review, which was approved by the council's overview and scrutiny committee, were that there should be a young people's strategy or charter in Ryedale and a way for youngsters to get their views across.

Andrew Leeming, who headed the review, said: "What is clear from the review is that there is high regard for what the council has achieved in meeting the needs of young people in Ryedale, and that there is a great deal of good practice to build on for the future.

"Unemployment in Ryedale is very low and youth unemployment does not appear to be a problem. Although there is a perception that many young people will seek employment elsewhere."