She said the Children's Plan, due out next month, would also highlight the need to provide more outdoor space within communities.
Hughes' comments came at the launch of the Seen and Heard report by the think tank Demos last week. The report argues for much more consideration of the needs of children and young people when designing the built environment.
Hughes stressed the importance of listening to the views of children and young people when designing communities. "This means asking children and young people what they want, and working with them to develop it," she said. "Asking adults is a sure-fire way of wasting public money."
She went on to say that these issues are likely to be raised in the Children's Plan, which will set out aims for the government strategy on children and youth issues. She added that disadvantage will feature strongly in the publication.
- See Vox Pop, p16.
