BLACKBURN with Darwen Council leader Bill Taylor has embarked on a tour of the borough's secondary schools, promoting the importance of democracy and active citizenship.

Citizenship is now part of the National Curriculum and it will come into force as a statutory entitlement at Key Stages 3 and 4 from September 2002. The challenge facing Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is how it assists the boroughs schools in promoting it.

As part of the tour, Coun Taylor will give a presentation to students about how decisions are made both nationally and locally, what services the council spends its annual budget on, how they can get involved in local decision making and why people should use their vote.

Speaking on his visit to Pleckgate High School, Coun Taylor said it was important that people were engaged at an early age as to the importance of playing an active role in their community.

He said: "The best way of ensuring people go through life feeling part of a community is to teach them the virtues of democracy and citizenship while they are at school. If we don't do this and they will reach 18 with no interest in democracy it will be very difficult to persuade them to vote."