As you get ready to enjoy Friday night spare a thought for those under 18 who can’t nip down to the local pub to enjoy an evening out and about.

The Liberal Democrats have raised this issue on a number of occasions and as a a result a request that young people be consulted on the opportunities available for them to listen to and play live music in the District has been made by the Overview and Scrutiny (Public Services) Committee for St Albans City and District Council.

There are various ways that young people can get involved with live music in St Albans city, but not all are easily accessible. These include taking lessons at St Albans MusicSchool and attending gigs at The Horn, the Alban Arena, Pioneer and other live music venues.

The Committee agreed to refer the report to the Youth Action Group of the St Albans and District Local Strategic Partnership (LSP), which is made up of organisations working with young people across the District, including Oaklands College and Youth Connexions Hertfordshire.

The aim is to identify practical and cost-effective ways of facilitating and improving live music provision for young people. As part of this, the Committee has asked the Youth Action Group to consult young people about the current provision and how it could be improved.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Robert Donald, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny (Public Services) Committee, said: ”Music is an enormously important element of all our lives especially for young people. We want St Albans to be a premier cultural destination for all the arts which must include different types of music being available for young people to enjoy and indeed participate in. As a Committee, we cannot however progress this issue without some further advice and expertise from the people who know best: young people themselves. We are therefore asking the Youth Action Group if they could consult some of them and report back to us later in the year on how to take this forward locally.”

At the same meeting, the Committee agreed that youth provision, including the absence of a cinema in St Albans City and District and a lack of appropriate places for young people to meet and relax, is an issue of concern for local residents. It is planning to consider the issue of youth provision in more detail at a meeting later in the year in consultation with the Youth Action Group.

Unfortunately plans to provide a Cinema and reduce the cost of maintaining The Maltings Theatre have been shelved by the Conservative Administration locally, reducing the number of potential opportunities for young people.