CORNWALL councillors were held to account by schoolchildren keen to challenge recycling costs for their school.

Seven students from St Day and Carharrack Primary School, a Silver UNICEF Rights Respecting School, joined 100 young people from 11 schools at the Article 12 Celebration Day at New County Hall in Truro on June 27.

They used the platform to urge councillors to reverse the national policy that sees educational establishments placed in the ‘business’ category for recycling collection fees, paying more than £10,000 annually.

In 2024, every pupil at St Day and Carharrack wrote a letter to Cornwall’s councillors. All went unanswered, so pupils took the offer of a presentation at the Article 12 event as the perfect opportunity to hold councillors to account. Year One pupil Koben told councillors: “We wrote to you and you didn’t reply. This is not good enough.”

Darcy, also in Year One, read out one of the letters sent to the Prime Minister earlier this year, calling for recycling to be incentivised rather than charged. The school received an official response from Downing Street last month.

Kate Evan-Hughes, strategic director for Together for Families acknowledged the children’s voices had not been listened to and apologised, saying: “This is not OK.”

Redruth councillor Barbara Ellenbroek congratulated pupils in person, expressing her regret that their letters had not received a response.

Viv Horne, reception teacher and Rights Respecting School lead at St Day and Carharrack, said: “Our children spoke with confidence and maturity, and their passion was clear. This has grown beyond the injustice of paying to recycle. The UN Rights of the Child are central to everything we do, and it was powerful for the children to see Article 12 in action.”

The pupils plan to continue their campaign against the fees , believing funds could be better invested in education.