Robert held his first annual Democracy Challenge, a debating competition for local Sixth Form pupils.
Kindly hosted by West Oxfordshire District Council at their offices in Woodgreen, teams from every Sixth Form school in West Oxfordshire participated in two initial rounds, where they debated various topics, from grammar schools to the merits of West Oxfordshire as a place to live compared to London. Local councillors of all parties did an excellent job of judging the opening rounds.
After two rounds of lively debate, the eight teams were narrowed down with the two highest scoring teams making it through to the final in the main Council Chamber, where they debated the motion: 'This House believes that social media has had a negative impact on society.' The judging panel for the final debate was made up of Robert Courts MP, Lord Robert Hayward, and Charles Harris QC.
The winners were the team from Chipping Norton School: Georgia Juckes, Alicia Ross-Vergara, Hettie Gardner and Luke Briggs, though they faced stiff competition from Henry Box School in the final. The winning team were presented with a trophy, and will now go to Parliament for a tour with Robert Courts MP, after which they will be able to watch a live debate in the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Speaking after the event, Robert said: 'I was absolutely delighted to host my first ever Democracy Challenge. I was thoroughly impressed by the high standard of debate and public speaking that was on display. Chipping Norton School were well deserved winners, but they were pushed hard and everyone who participated made some really excellent and thought-provoking contributions.
'Open debate and discussion are the very basis of our democracy and I am keen to promote this amongst our young people. I can say with certainty that the art of debate is strong in West Oxfordshire and democracy has a bright future. I am already looking forward to next year's competition!'
