Youth Votes Count

YOUTH VOTES COUNT

A report looking at elections to youth councils, mayors and parliaments in England across the academic year 2011-2012

Supporting youth participation in local democracy through the youth voice vehicle - a handbook for practitioners

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All of these publications can be downloaded from the BYC website: www.byc.org.uk/uk-work/youth-voice

3

CONTENTS

Introduction 4

Election statistics summary 5

Timing and types of election 5

Election methods 6

Voting methods 6

Election systems 7

Access to young people 7

Partnerships 7

Voter awareness 8

Cost and staff time spent on elections 8

Appendix 1: Youth council/cabinet/forum election figures academic year 2010/11 9

Appendix 2: Youth council/cabinet/forum election figures academic year 2011/12 13

Appendix 3: Youth election timeline academic year 2011/2012 18

Appendix 4: Youth elections in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales 20

About the British Youth Council 23

4

INTRODUCTION

The British Youth Council supports a network of over 600 Local Youth Councils (LYCs) across the UK. Up to 19,800 young people, mostly aged between 11 and 17, volunteer their time to represent their peers through LYCs, influencing local decision-making and shaping local services. Towards the end of 2011 we took on the hosting of the 16-strong Young Mayor Network - a body that gives directly-elected young mayors the chance to support each other with a view to getting their

voices heard on a national stage. Since April 2011, BYC has also been running the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP). UKYP aims to give the young people of the United Kingdom, between the ages of 11 and 18, a voice which will be heard and listened to by local and national government, providers of services for young people and other agencies which have an interest in the views and needs of young people. Many local authorities integrate these models by holding direct elections to the first tier model, from which representatives can then take part in indirect elections to the second tier roles.

This is the first year the British Youth Council has attempted to collate the data for youth elections across all tiers of local government.

The following report begins to paint the picture of youth democracy across England. It provides some background information on the election methods used by councils, the cost and time spent on holding elections and a timeline as to when elections take place. We have also summarised the current picture of youth democracy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Appendix 4).

This data will be used to inform discussions and decisions about when and how to improve elections and share best practice, as well as to underline a growing mandate from children and young people who say they want to get involved and take part in representative activity. We will also look at how the information can be used to support a potential connection between the voting habits and registration of young people and voting in adult elections.

The length of term is set locally with a mix of one or two years in office - which is why the number of results varies from year to year. A small number of election results have not been declared to us in places where we know elections took place. When all participating councils are taken into account we estimate a million votes are cast across the UK.

5

Election statistics summaryArea Academic Year

2010/2011Academic Year

2011/2012Number of direct elections 83 85

Number of candidates 1,610 2,193

Number elected 658 937

Number of votes 409,114 595,600

Highest local turnout 58.06% 93.7%

Average local turnout 16.81% 23.26%

Timing and types of election Most direct elections for all three models are held on the same day in any one local authority. Election days are held throughout the academic year with a peak in February. Most are for two-year terms.

Young Mayor

Youth Council

UK Youth Parliament

Overall

Sept 2011 0 0 0 0

Oct 2011 1 1 0 2

Nov 2011 1 3 2 6

Dec 2011 0 3 3 6

Jan 2012 0 3 7 10

Feb 2012 0 4 31 35

Mar 2012 1 7 16 24

Apr 2012 0 2 2 4

May 2012 1 2 0 3

Jun 2012 0 0 0 0

Jul 2012 0 0 1 1

6

Election methodsThere was a great deal of diversity in the methods local councils used to carry out their elections. These included the use of ballot boxes, text, online and postal voting. Some councils employed a mixture of all the above to ensure they engaged with as many young people as possible in their locality, enabling them to participate and vote in elections. There was no single approach to the elections as different councils found different methods worked according to the area and the specific needs of the young people in that locality. Some councils reported that online voting worked best while others suggested the use of a secret ballot was better in their area.

Voting methods Ballot box Many local councils opted for the traditional use of a ballot box when carrying out their elections. This involved the use of official ballot papers, boxes and booths, with some authorities printing and sending ballot papers to schools.

OnlineA number of councils offered young people the opportunity to vote for their candidate of choice online. In Birmingham, for instance, young people used a code to vote and leave comments for their chosen candidate. Different tools were utilised to log votes such as the mi-voice online multi-channel e-democracy website, SurveyMonkey, the use of a Google form on Google docs, or by having votes sent to a designated email address.

TextCouncils were able to offer the flexible service of mobile ballot voting, where young people were able to text ‘voting’ to a designated phone number.

PostWhen young people were unable to vote on the day of their election they were offered the opportunity, on occasions, to apply to vote by post. If they did apply they were sent a postal vote form, which they could send back and have their vote counted. Looked-after young people were automatically sent a postal vote by Islington council.

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Break Down of Election Methods used:Voting Method PercentageBallot Box 70%

Text 3%

Online 10%

Post 3%

Mixture of ballot box, text, online voting 14%

Election systems It is up to local councils to decide which form of voting system they use. We have not recorded this information to date, but anecdotally we know there is no one preferred method being used. Some are using a form of proportional representation, others use the first past the post system. We will be recording the voting system used in elections held from September 2012 onwards and will include it in next year’s report.

Access to young people Elections were held in a variety of venues to reach out to a range of young people.

The majority of elections were held in formal spaces like schools, colleges, pupil referral units (PRUs) and Connexions centres. Other less formal spaces included youth clubs, community centres, voluntary organisations and libraries.

Partnerships Partnerships between local authorities and other organisations were crucial to the successful delivery of elections and to reaching as many young people as possible. Local authorities worked with partners that included schools, colleges, youth organisations, faith groups and democratic services. Schools and colleges, in which elections were held, were often given discretion as to how they ran their elections. On the other hand, some schools received training from existing youth council members on how to do things like run polling stations or instruct young people on how to vote. In some instances the elections were run and facilitated by members of staff from the local authority using the machinery used in adult elections, or by existing youth council members.

8

Voter awarenessSome local authorities publicised the elections to young people, not only to inform them about the event but also to provide them with background information on the candidates. This was carried out through press and PR teams in the local authority, the distribution of DVDs in which candidates discussed their campaigns and the publicising of background information on candidates online.

Cost and staff time spent on elections Staff time The length of time spent on running elections can vary depending on when a council begins and ends it election cycle. The tasks involved include the promotion and publicity of the election, preparation for the day, the election itself, the counting of votes and the announcement of results. It is difficult to develop an approximate figure of how much time is spent on elections as many people are involved in the process along the way including candidates, volunteers and council staff.

On average 290 hours staff time was spent per election.

Financial cost (excluding staff time) The actual cost of running an election can include ballot papers, food and travel.

The average cost of elections came to £2,666.23 per election.

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APPENDIX 1

Youth council/cabinet/forum election figures academic year 2010/11

Note: Turnout is based on population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Mid-2011 by the Office for National Statistics.

The election figures below were supplied by Local Councils. If your Local Council’s election information is not recorded here please contact [email protected].

Region Local Council No. of Candidates

No. of Posts

Number of Votes cast

Total Electorate

Turn Out Type Method

South West Wiltshire 37 22 28,252 48,662 58.06% Youth Council election

Direct

West Midlands

Walsall 15 4 13,615 26,971 50.48% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Tower Hamlets 18 2 8,710 18,130 48.04% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Brent 200 72 10,000 20,999 47.62% Youth Council election

Direct

Yorkshire and Humberside

Barnsley 92 32 10,734 22,831 47.02% Youth Council election

Direct

North West Blackburn w/ Darwen

11 3 7,808 17,047 45.80% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North West Sefton 36 6 11,604 27,749 41.82% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North West Bury 17 3 8,016 19,189 41.77% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Sutton 8 2 8,149 19,544 41.70% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South East Wokingham 9 2 6,836 16,524 41.37% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Richmond 10 3 6,567 15,939 41.20% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South West Bath & NE Somerset


Direct

London Lewisham 18 2 8,076 22,067 36.60% UK Youth Parliament

Direct


Wakefield 21 6 11,337 31,907 35.53% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South West Dorset 20 6 14,715 41,609 35.36% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

10


No. of Posts


Total Electorate


South West North Somerset 12 2 6,838 19,508 35.05% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

West Midlands

Warwickshire 23 8 17,500 51,860 33.74% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

West Midlands

Shropshire 13 4 8,915 30,595 29.14% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Redbridge 12 2 8,015 27,813 28.82% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Lambeth 9 2 5,170 18,832 27.45% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North West Rochdale 6 2 5,949 21,919 27.14% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South West Bristol, City of 50 28 8,454 33,054 25.58% Youth Council election

Direct

London Hammersmith & Fulham


Direct

East of England

Hertfordshire 41 12 27,000 111,373 24.24% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South East Buckinghamshire 15 6 12,665 52,407 24.17% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

West Midlands

Wolverhampton 7 4 5,507 23,232 23.70% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North West Blackpool 27 4 3,125 13,761 22.71% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South West Somerset 21 7 11,925 55,485 21.49% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

West Midlands

Dudley 12 4 6,315 30,679 20.58% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Hackney 32 20 3,600 17,926 20.08% Youth Council election

Direct


Rotherham 5 4 5,121 25,957 19.73% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Croydon 37 4 6,722 35,044 19.18% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

West Midlands

Wolverhampton 27 18 4,334 23,232 18.66% Youth Council election

Direct

London Barnet 22 4 5,761 32,310 17.83% UK Youth Parliament

Direct


North East Lincolnshire


Direct

West Midlands

Telford & Wrekin 10 2 2,919 17,444 16.73% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Westminster 6 2 2,232 13,603 16.41% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South East Reading 15 12 1,954 12,272 15.92% Youth Council election

Direct

South East Portsmouth 13 3 2,716 17,083 15.90% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South West Torbay 9 7 1,912 12,292 15.55% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

11


No. of Posts


Total Electorate


London Kingston-Upon-Thames

20 20 2,000 13,929 14.36% Youth Council election

Direct

London Ealing 11 2 3,620 25,572 14.16% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South East Oxfordshire 17 6 8,869 63,396 13.99% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

West Midlands

Sandwell 35 20 4,000 29,412 13.60% Youth Council election

Direct

South West Cornwall 22 6 6,445 50,756 12.70% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

East of England

Bedford 100 44 2,000 16,488 12.13% Youth Council election

Direct

South East West Sussex 43 8 9,257 77,619 11.93% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Hillingdon 6 3 3,000 25,335 11.84% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North West Halton 8 2 1,424 12,060 11.81% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South West Devon 23 14 7,000 70,494 9.93% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North West St Helens 18 14 1,554 18,270 8.51% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South West Plymouth 13 4 1,783 22,943 7.77% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South East Hampshire 42 8 9,567 129,263 7.40% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North West Oldham 41 25 1,700 23,861 7.12% Youth Council election

Direct

East of England

Essex 91 75 8,000 138,103 5.79% Youth Council election

Direct

West Midlands

Birmingham 14 10 5,626 106,433 5.29% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South East Brighton & Hove 50 20 1,012 20,824 4.86% Youth Council election

Direct

South West Bournemouth 5 2 455 13,473 3.38% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

East of England

Peterborough 8 3 102 16,542 0.62% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South West Poole 14 2 75 13,164 0.57% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

East of England

Southend 5 1 50 15,448 0.32% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Hackney 10 2 53 17,926 0.30% Uk Youth Parliament

indirect

London Brent 16 4 60 20,999 0.29% Uk Youth Parliament

Indirect

North West Oldham 6 4 60 23,861 0.25% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

South East Medway 7 4 55 27,266 0.20% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

12


No. of Posts


Total Electorate


London Harrow 8 4 42 21,480 0.20% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South East Brighton & Hove 8 2 37 20,824 0.18% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

London Kingston-Upon-Thames

4 2 20 13,929 0.14% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

East of England

Thurrock 2 2 22 16,019 0.14% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

East of England

Bedford 6 2 22 16,488 0.13% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect


York, City of 3 3 17 16,606 0.10% UK Youth Parliament

Direct


Barnsley 7 4 22 22,831 0.10% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

London Enfield 8 4 26 28,667 0.09% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

South East Reading 3 2 11 12,272 0.09% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

South East West Berkshire 5 2 9 10,610 0.08% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South West Bristol, City of 18 5 26 33,054 0.08% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

North West Trafford 9 6 16 21,082 0.08% UK Youth Parliament

Direct


Doncaster 4 4 20 28,741 0.07% Youth Council election

Direct

East of England

Essex 26 10 65 138,103 0.05% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

West Midlands

Sandwell 5 4 12 29,412 0.04% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect


North Yorkshire 32 12 20 59,979 0.03% Youth Council election

Direct

South West Wiltshire 9 6 14 48,662 0.03% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect


North Yorkshire 3 3 3 59,979 0.01% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

13

APPENDIX 2

Youth council/cabinet/forum election figures academic year 2011/12

Note: Turnout is based on population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Mid-2011 by the Office for National Statistics.

The election figures below were supplied by Local Councils. If your Local Council’s election information is not recorded here please contact [email protected].


No. of Posts


Total Electorate


South West Dorset 13 6 39,000 41,609 93.73% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South West Wiltshire 29 12 31,000 48,862 63.44% Local Youth Council

Direct

North West Knowsley 4 3 8,952 15,866 56.42% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Harrow 65 50 12,305 21,840 56.34% Local Youth Council

Direct

South West Isles of Scilly 3 2 94 169 55.62% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North West Bolton 8 2 14,620 27,927 52.35% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

East Midlands Mansfield 3 1 4,817 9,835 48.98% Young Mayor Network

Direct

London Brent 72 50 10,000 20,999 47.62% Local Youth Council

Direct

West

Midlands

Walsall 15 4 12,589 26,971 46.68% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Sutton 24 2 8,700 19,544 44.51% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Sutton 24 2 8,700 19,544 44.51% Local Youth Council

Direct

London Newham 52 52 10,082 23,249 43.37% Local Youth Council

Direct

London Newham 50 2 10,082 23,249 43.37% Young Mayor Network

Direct

South East Worthing 16 16 3,801 9,002 42.22% Local Youth Council

Direct

East of England Epping Forest 40 20 5,000 11,842 42.22% Local Youth Council

Direct

14


No. of Posts


Total Electorate


North East Hartlepool 10 2 3,700 9,541 38.78% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North East North

Tyneside

33 2 6,888 17,873 38.54% Young Mayor Network

Direct

London Lewisham 4 2 8,076 22,067 36.60% Young Mayor Network

Direct

London Lewisham 4 2 8,076 22,067 36.60% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North West Oldham 100 52 8,584 23,861 35.98% Local Youth Council

Direct

South East Wokingham 8 2 5,894 16,524 35.67% UK Youth Parliament

Direct


Wakefield 15 6 11,343 31,907 35.55% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

East Midlands Derbyshire 210 56 26,222 75,477 34.74% Local Youth Council

Direct

London Redbridge 14 4 9,656 27,813 34.72% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Hammersmith & Fulham


Direct

South West Bath & NE Somerset


Direct

London Enfield 28 16 9,000 28,667 31.39% Local Youth Council

Direct

South East Bracknell Forest 35 14 3,986 13,087 30.46% Local Youth Council

Direct

South East Buckinghamshire 15 9 15,192 52,407 28.99% UK Youth Parliament

Direct


Rotherham 8 4 7,502 25,957 28.90% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Bromley 106 30 8,252 29,820 27.67% Local Youth Council

Direct

West Midlands Wolverhampton 38 24 6,068 23,232 26.12% Local Youth Council

Direct

South East West Sussex 47 8 20,088 77,619 25.88% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South East West Sussex 93 48 20,088 77,619 25.88% Local Youth Council

Direct

North West Cheshire West 13 6 8,161 31,993 25.51% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Barnet 21 4 8,041 32,310 24.89% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South East Brighton & Hove 57 26 5,123 20,824 24.60% Local Youth Council

Direct

South East Reading 6 2 3,019 12,272 24.60% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Islington 23 8 3,207 13,067 24.54% Local Youth Council

Direct

South East Reading 19 12 3,005 12,272 24.49% Local Youth Council

Direct

15


No. of Posts


Total Electorate


West Midlands Shropshire 13 4 7,337 30,595 23.98% UK Youth Parliament

Direct


Calderdale 16 4 4,838 20,578 23.51% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South West Swindon 10 3 4,385 18,790 23.34% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

West Midlands Wolverhampton 6 4 5,418 23,232 23.32% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North West Warrington 12 4 4,532 19,622 23.10% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North East Sunderland 21 4 6,137 26,889 22.82% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North West Trafford 7 6 4,722 21,082 22.40% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Lambeth 6 4 4,158 18,832 22.08% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Lambeth 10 1 4,158 18,832 22.08% Young Mayor Network

Direct

London Lambeth 16 4 4,158 18,832 22.08% Local Youth Council

Direct

London Southwark 19 19 4,364 19,788 22.05% Local Youth Council

Direct

London Southwark 19 3 4,364 19,788 22.05% Local Youth Council

Direct

South East Isle of Wight 8 2 2,870 13,285 21.60% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South East Isle of Wight 29 20 2,870 13,285 21.60% Local Youth Council

Direct


Barnsley 16 4 4,838 22,831 21.19% UK Youth Parliament

Direct


Sheffield 18 6 10,024 48,854 20.52% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

East of England Bedford Borough 97 37 3,373 16,448 20.51% Local Youth Council

Direct

South East Portsmouth 8 3 3,084 17,083 18.05% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South East East Sussex 14 25 8,933 50,513 17.68% Local Youth Council

Direct

East of England Norfolk 32 9 12,308 77,148 15.95% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South East Oxfordshire 13 6 10,013 63,396 15.79% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

South West Torbay 10 8 1,898 12,292 15.44% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

West Midlands Solihull 4 4 3,343 22,101 15.13% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Greenwich 12 4 3,000 19,886 15.09% Local Youth Council

Direct

London Ealing 11 5 3,832 25,572 14.99% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

16


No. of Posts


Total Electorate


South West Plymouth 16 4 3,200 22,943 13.95% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

West Midlands Sandwell 20 16 4,000 29,412 13.60% Local Youth Council

Direct

London Hillingdon 15 4 3,369 25,335 13.30% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

West Midlands Sandwell 16 4 3,511 29,412 11.94% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

West Midlands Birmingham 14 10 11,321 106,433 10.64% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

West Midlands Birmingham 29 18 11,321 106,433 10.64% Local Youth Council

Direct

North East Northumberland 5 5 2,972 28,999 10.25% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Barking & Dagenham

100 50 1,930 19,145 10.08% Local Youth Council

Direct

London Havering 12 6 2,000 24,040 8.32% Local Youth Council

Direct

East of England Hertfordshire 35 12 8,276 111,373 7.43% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Ealing 18 1 1,865 25,572 7.29% Young Mayor Network

Direct


Leeds 14 6 4,795 69,314 6.92% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Hounslow 6 4 1,209 18,977 6.37% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Camden 5 3 908 15,513 5.85% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

North West Wigan 3 2 1,712 30,232 5.66% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Bexley 70 4 1,200 23,577 5.09% Local Youth Council

Direct

North West St Helens 5 5 638 18,270 3.49% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

East Midlands Lincolnshire 18 3 2,011 67,858 2.96% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

East Midlands Lincolnshire 18 18 2,011 67,858 2.96% Local Youth Council

Direct

South West Poole 12 2 128 13,164 0.97% UK Youth Parliament

Direct

London Harrow 9 4 70 21,840 0.32% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

South East Brighton & Hove 10 6 52 20,824 0.25% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

London Brent 10 4 50 20,999 0.24% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

London Barking & Dagenham

14 4 45 19,145 0.24% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

London Bromley 14 4 62 29,820 0.21% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

17


No. of Posts


Total Electorate


West Midlands Staffordshire 8 5 162 80,640 0.20% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

East of England Bedford Borough 11 2 30 16,448 0.18% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

North West Oldham 6 4 42 23,861 0.18% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

South East Bracknell Forest 5 3 17 13,087 0.13% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

London Enfield 7 4 27 28,667 0.09% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

East Midlands Derbyshire 18 8 48 75,477 0.06% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect


North Yorkshire 4 4 33 59,979 0.06% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

South East East Sussex 16 6 19 50,513 0.04% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

London Havering 5 2 8 24,040 0.03% UK Youth Parliament

Indirect

18

APPENDIX 3

Youth election timeline academic year 2011/2012

September 2011

• No election declared

October 2011

• Havering (Youth Council)

• Mansfield (Young Mayor)

November 2011

• Sutton (Youth Council/UKYP)

• Bracknell (Youth Council)

• Brighton & Hove (Youth Council)

• North Tyneside (Young Mayor/UKYP)

December 2011

• East Sussex (Youth Council/UKYP)

• Northumberland (Youth Council/UKYP)

• Reading (Youth Council)

• Isle of White (UKYP)

January 2012

• Barking & Dagenham (Youth Council)

• Brent (Youth Council)

• Havering (Youth Council)

• Brighton & Hove (UKYP)

• Plymouth (UKYP)

• Poole (UKYP)

• Reading (UKYP)

• Rotherham (UKYP)

• Swindon (UKYP)

• Wokingham (UKYP)

February 2012

• Barking & Dagenham (UKYP)

• Bath & NE Somerset (UKYP)

• Birmingham (Youth Council/UKYP)

• Bracknell Forest (UKYP)

• Brent (UKYP)

• Calderdale (UKYP)

• Cheshire West (UKYP)

• City of York (UKYP)

• Cornwall (UKYP)

• Derbyshire (Youth Council)

• Dorset (UKYP)

• Ealing (UKYP)

• Greenwich (Youth Council)

• Hammersmith and Fulham (UKYP)

• Harrow (Youth Council)

• Havering (UKYP)

• Hertfordshire (UKYP)

• Hillingdon (UKYP)

19

• Hounslow (UKYP)

• Isles of Scilly (UKYP)

• Islington (Youth Council)

• Middlesbrough (UKYP)

• Oldham (UKYP)

• Oxfordshire (UKYP)

• Portsmouth (UKYP)

• Sandwell (UKYP)

• Shropshire (UKYP)

• Solihull (UKYP)

• Torbay (UKYP)

• Trafford (UKYP)

• Wakefield (UKYP)

March 2012

• Buckinghamshire (UKYP)

• Darlington (UKYP)

• Knowsley (UKYP)

• Lambeth (Youth Council/Young Mayor)

• Leeds (UKYP)

• Lincolnshire (Youth Council/UKYP)

• Newham (Youth Council)

• Norfolk (UKYP)

• North Yorkshire (UKYP)

• Redbridge (UKYP)

• Sandwell (Youth Council)

• Sheffield (UKYP)

• St Helens (UKYP)

• Staffordshire (Youth Council/UKYP)

• Sunderland (UKYP)

• Walsall (UKYP)

• Warrington (UKYP)

• West Sussex (Youth Council/UKYP)

• Wiltshire (Youth Council)

• Worthing (Youth Council)

April 2012

• Oldham (Youth Council)

• Epping Forest (Youth Council)

• Bedford Borough (UKYP)

• Bolton (UKYP)

May 2012

• Ealing (Youth Council)

• Bedford Borough (Youth Council)

• Ealing (Young Mayor)

June 2012

• None yet declared

July 2012

• Bedford Borough (UKYP)

20

APPENDIX 4

Youth elections in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales

Scotland

Scottish Youth Parliament

The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) represents Scotland’s young people aged 14-25. Since it was established by young people in 1999 the SYP has been at the forefront of youth engagement in civic democracy, working directly with over 1,000 members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) and engaging with many thousands more through

its work. An independent charity, the SYP receives core funding from the Scottish government.

In the most recent elections, held in March 2011, Scotland’s young people cast 84,940 votes to elect 135 constituency MSYPs to serve a two-year term; that is equivalent to a turnout of about 1 in 10 eligible young people. The organisation also has MSYPs elected to represent national voluntary organisations.

To find out more visit: www.syp.org.uk

UK Youth Parliament in Scotland

Since the UK Youth Parliament’s inception, it has worked with the Scottish Youth Parliament to secure representation from Scottish young people. BYC reserves 45 seats for Scottish representatives (aged up to 18) to attend the UKYP annual sitting in the House of Commons.

Local Youth Councils

Almost all local authorities in Scotland operate some form of youth council, though names and structures vary. In a small number of areas young people directly elect representatives, though most often, certainly at the local community level, young people are able to self-nominate.

To find your local youth council in Scotland please go to:byc.org.uk/uk-work/local-youth-council-network/find-your-local-youth-council

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Wales

Funky Dragon – the children and young people’s assembly for Wales

Funky Dragon is the children and young people’s assembly for Wales and is governed by the Grand Council, made up of 100 young people from across Wales aged 25 and under. Each of the 22 local authorities in Wales may send representatives from the following groups:

• One young person should represent the statutory sector e.g. youth clubs, schools, social services etc

• One young person should represent the voluntary sector e.g. local charities, uniformed groups, young farmers etc

• One young person should represent the local school councils

• One young person (the equality rep) should represent young people from specific interest groups.

The elections are run locally and are undertaken by county youth forums/youth councils. Currently there are elected representatives from 20 out of 22 local authorities. Data on the total number of votes for these elections is currently not collected centrally.

The final 12 seats are filled by co-option and are intended for any groups which are underrepresented elsewhere in the Grand Council.

To find out more about Funky Dragon go to: www.funkydragon.org

UK Youth Parliament in Wales

BYC reserves 26 seats in the UK Youth Parliament for Welsh representatives (aged 18 and under) to attend the annual House of Commons debate of the UK Youth Parliament. BYC is working in partnership with Funky Dragon to explore the feasibility of direct elections of these representatives to focus on UK wide issues as well as overall funding for this programme to run fully in Wales.

Local youth forums

Each local authority under the Local Participation Strategies 0-25 guidance (Welsh Assembly government circular No: 025/2007) issued in August 2007 should have a local youth forum. The recruitment methods range from elections and self selections to applications. Many community councils also have a youth forum.

To find your local youth council in Wales please go to:byc.org.uk/uk-work/local-youth-council-network/find-your-local-youth-council

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Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Youth Forum

The Northern Ireland Youth Forum (NIYF) is youth led: it is run by young people, for young people and is managed by an executive committee of 16 young people. This committee sets the strategic direction based on the views of its members. It sets the priorities for the youth forum and employs a staff team to carry out this work. Any young person who has been involved in working with the youth forum at any stage during the last two years can stand for a seat on the executive committee.

Last year 500 votes were cast in the Northern Ireland Youth Forum elections.

UK Youth Parliament in Northern Ireland

NIYF delivers this programme on behalf of the BYC in Northern Ireland. There are currently 16 members of the Youth Parliament elected by the NIYF to represent young people in Northern Ireland. The first year in which Northern Ireland held UKYP elections was 2012, previous to this young people were co-opted on. NIYF has commissioned a piece of research to look at how it can increase awareness of UKYP in Northern Ireland and the youth turnout in these elections.

Local youth forums

Only one council in Northern Ireland has a shadow youth council – Belfast City Council Youth Forum, although there are many local youth forums and councils run by community organisations and well as education and library boards.

To find your local youth council in Northern Ireland please go to:byc.org.uk/uk-work/local-youth-council-network/find-your-local-youth-council

ABOUT THE BRITISH YOUTH COUNCILThe British Youth Council is the National Youth Council of the UK. A youth-led charity, we empower young people aged 25 and under to influence and inform the decisions that affect their lives. We support young people to get involved in their communities and democracy locally, nationally and internationally, making a difference as volunteers, campaigners, decision-makers and leaders.

Serving our membershipBYC is made up of more than 230 member organisations who support our common vision for young people. Members elect our Board, determine our policies and prioritise our campaigns. They also act as the link between BYC and millions of individuals within the membership of our members.www.byc.org.uk/members

Youth-led networksBYC runs a number of youth-led networks and programmes - including the UK Youth Parliament, Young Mayor Network, Local Youth Council Network, National Scrutiny Group and Youth Select Committee - which encourage young people to get involved in democracy and campaign to bring about change.www.byc.org.uk/uk-work

Campaigning and consultingBYC seeks to represent the views of young people and our members to stakeholders and decision makers at a local, national and international level. This work is based on the rolling BYC Manifesto which outlines our beliefs and aspirations.www.byc.org.uk/campaigns

Training and recognitionOur training programmes empower young people with the skills, knowledge and confidence to bring about change. We also recognise young people who have made a significant contribution to their community through our high-profile award schemes.www.byc.org.uk/training-services

International workThrough our international youth participation young people learn about global issues and connect and share with other young people around the world. They are able to take part in discussions and influence decisions made at an international level.www.byc.org.uk/international

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Youth Votes Count

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Transcript of Youth Votes Count