In the run up to the Local Elections taking place on 6th May 2021, Youth Employment UK hosted a roundtable with Cat Smith MP, For Lancaster and Fleetwood, Shadow Minister for Democracy and Young People, and James Daley MP, For Bury North, APPG for Youth Employment Chair, to bring young people into the conversation to discuss the different elections taking place.
Chaired by Josh Adcock, Research and Policy Apprentice from Youth Employment UK, and Amran Hussain, Youth Ambassador Board this event aimed to inform and inspire young people to think about voting, gain understanding about what their vote means, what they can vote for and consider how they could get involved in local politics if they desired.
Cat Smith MP, and James Daly MP tackled questions on Local Council elections, Combined Authority and London Mayoral elections and the Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
Local elections
A Member of Parliament (MP) is elected to serve in the House of Commons and make decisions on a national level; foreign affairs, taxation, defence policy, whereas local councillors will decide how budgets are spent in their local area.
Not all areas have the same structured Local Government – some are combined authorities, some unitary and some parish, some will have Mayors and some won’t.
In essence the Local Elections are about choosing someone to be responsible for services and needs in your area for example think, recycling, bin collections, potholes and library services. Cat and James spoke about caring about where you live and your local community is really at the heart of being politically active, whether that be a councillor, Mayor or MP.
Mayoral Elections
The London Mayor is an important figurehead to transform how London feels about itself and the environment. The London Mayor has powers over transport in London, planning, development, regeneration, cultural events, environmental policy and sets budget for the Local Authority, the Met Police and the Fire Brigade.
When voting, consider voting for someone who is passionate about the area and has a vision that aligns with your own. There is a responsibility to research the candidates and look it at as what you as a consumer want.
Police and crime commissioner election
The Police and Crime Commissioner does not have day to day responsibilities for the operation of the police force – that’s the Chief Constables role.
Powers of the Police and Crime Commissioner is to appoint, reappoint or dismiss the Chief Constable, set budgets for the police force in that area and publish a police and crime plan. A police and crime commissioner can put funding to supporting youth workers and communities if they believe this is important. If you want to influence how policing is carried on in the area where you live, then you can vote for the police and crime commissioner.
How can young people be more involved in local politics
Politics needs to be seen as far more than just voting. If you closely identify with a political party, you can join a political party and young people shouldn’t limit themselves into thinking democracy is about putting a vote down on a paper.
Creating a positive community is politics in action – get involved with food banks, charity, community groups, litter picks and more!
Youth Ambassador quotes from the session
Daniela – It was really great to join my first Youth Ambassador event and I’m looking forward to the next one! Loved hearing the discussions about elections, especially useful since the local elections are happening soon, what they are and why they’re important, how it impacts young people and how we can get involved. I think it was really inspiring and motivating and there are many things we could do to show young people why politics are important and why we should take the time to go and vote.
Ella: The Q&A inspired me to want to find a way to inspire young people to vote in local elections or just understand it a bit better.
