'We need urgent action to improve water safety'
BBCThe deputy mayor of West Yorkshire says the government needs to appoint a minister to be in charge of water safety.
Alison Lowe has been answering questions on Message the Mayor on BBC Radio Leeds.
Several drownings involving children and young people in the past week in Yorkshire and across the country have highlighted the issue.
The deputy mayor, who oversees policing and crime, was also asked about knife crime and what should be done to tackle offensive social media posts.
You can read our takeaways below, or listen to the full interview here.
More should be done to keep children safe near water
"This year has been worse than any I can remember in my lifetime.
"I am happy to go back to the mayor after this and to write to government and demand that more is done.
"I think it's time for the government to announce a minister who is in charge of this portfolio [water safety].
"I think that government then needs to allocate those resources so that the education is there, the prevention is there - and all the ancillary things like floating devices, telephones, whatever it is that need to be waterside, are there.
"So if somebody goes into the water and is struggling, those facilities are there to help them."
The BBC has asked the government for a response to Lowe's suggestions.
Young people think they're invincible
The deputy mayor says a new approach is needed to teaching children and teenagers about the dangers of open water.
"Young people don't believe when adults tell them it's dangerous.
"It's got to be wrap-around support. It's got to be long-term education and awareness.
"It's got to be buy-in from the whole family, from the school."
People's experiences are helping us tackle crime
The deputy mayor says around 5,000 people's views have been taken into account as part of a strategy to tackle serious violence.
Their experiences of crime have been used to create a report called The Voices of West Yorkshire.
"The public told us what their fears were and it's actually quite harrowing.
"We're going to keep coming back to this report so the voices influence our priority making, our decision making, our investment over the life of this strategy. "
Knifepoint robberies are down by a fifth
"For the next two years of the mayor's term of office all we're going to be talking about with the public is serious violence and how we tackle it together.
"And then invest in those ideas that the public gives us.
"Here in West Yorkshire we've reduced knife-enabled robbery by just over 20 percent.
"That's 700 hundred less victims."
Last week, Lowe and mayor Tracy Brabin launched a new anti-knife crime campaign, featuring a music video.
Politicians need to be responsible
Lowe was asked her views on recent reports about politicians making offensive posts on social media.
"As politicians we are in a privileged position. It's an honour to serve the public.
"We need to operate at a standard that befits that responsibility.
"Anyone can say racist, sexist, homophobic, misogynist things. And they should all be condemned for those things.
"When we're politicians, the good news is there is a recourse - and that's the ballot box."
