A national ballot has revealed the political issues most important to young people, citing the living wage, tackling racism, and mental health as some of the most prominent problems.
A living wage was the number one topic from the Make Your Mark ballot, run by the UK Youth Parliament, which saw a new high of over 967,000 young people vote across the UK.
Salford Youth Council’s voting, which saw 6,726 young people take part, reflected the top five national results, which also included mental health issues, a lower voting age, a curriculum for life, transport and tackling racism.
These issues will now be discussed by members of the UK Youth Parliament at the House of Commons on November 13.
Here in the North West there were more votes cast than in any other region, a pleasing result for Youth Focus North West co-ordinator Stuart Dunne.
He said: “It’s been a marvellous success in the North West which I think shows that our young people are definitely very politically engaged.”
“We had all councils involved for the first time ever, with the Wirral, Tameside and Stockport joining in for the first time.
“We have got really enthusiastic young people here in the North West and in Salford, where there appear to have been more votes than in the adult council elections.
“They have been promoting the elections in schools and town centres, and also worked at adapting the voting to make it as accessible as possible.
“The Youth Councils really give young people a voice, which is important because they are active members of society – they volunteer more than any other group of people, and with the current austerity measures affecting them I think it’s very important that they have their say.
“I think it’s interesting that the living wage was the most voted issue as, at the moment, only over-25s will be covered by it, so it’s obviously a good topic for creating an active discussion.
“I think there’s a clear message from young people on the basis of the ballot.”
Laura Edwards, 16, is the Youth Parliament member for Salford City Council and will attend the House of Commons next month to discuss the issues raised by the poll.
She said: “We worked across Salford, going into every school in the city and trained people on how to conduct the survey.
“Which meant that a lot of people got involved and also gained some skills and experience through coordinating it.
“I think the ballot is very important because young people are a lot more dependent on government provided services while these decisions are made for them without their involvement. So it’s important to have a say.”
Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart echoed this sentiment. He said: “It is wonderful to see young people getting involved in politics. They are the future of this city so it is important they have their voices heard.”
Meanwhile, households in Salford have until November 30, 2015 to return their household registration forms for the upcoming Salford City Council elections, but are encouraged to respond as soon as possible.
For further information please call 0161 909 6560 or email [email protected].
Image courtesy of Phil Roeder, with thanks.
