Thousands of Norfolk young people reveal which issues matter most ahead of Westminster debate
25 October 2012
More than 2000 young people in Norfolk have cast their votes in a national poll to find out which issues most concern young people ahead of a debate in the House of Commons later this month.
A total of 2,737 young people from across Norfolk voted in the UK wide Make Your Mark ballot that gives young people aged between 11 and 18, the chance to choose the top five issues they consider to be the most important to young people today.
‘Make public transport cheaper, better and accessible for all’ topped the poll with 469 votes, followed by ‘getting ready for work’ in second place with 408 votes, ‘an equal minimum wage for all’ with 345 votes, ‘marriage for all’ with 236 votes and ‘better 16-19 bursaries’ with 218 votes.
Four of Norfolk’s Members of Youth Parliament (MYP) will travel to Westminster on Friday, 23 November, to debate the top five national issues in a special House of Commons sitting chaired by the Rt. Hon John Bercow MP.
Jess Barnard, Lisa Lewczenko, Ross Perkins and Annie Baldwin will take part in the debate in the House of Commons alongside MYPs from across the UK.
They will be accompanied by staff from Norfolk County Council, which coordinates the work of the Norfolk MYPs who spend two years in office, attend monthly meetings at County Hall and debate issues affecting young people with other MYPs from across the eastern region.
Ross Perkins, an MYP for Mid Norfolk, said: “The Make Your Mark ballot is a great opportunity for young people to let the powers that be know which issues are important to us, why they are important and why they should choose to listen to us, not just during one debate, but all the time. I can’t wait to get to Westminster and represent the views of thousands of young people living in Norfolk.”
Tom Garrod, Deputy Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Norfolk County Council, who was the youngest County Councillor in the country when he was elected to the council in 2009 at the age of 19, said: “Norfolk’s young people have an invaluable role to play in our democratic process, and in speaking up for Norfolk.
“The House of Commons debate will give them an incredible opportunity to highlight their views on a national stage that is normally reserved for a select few sitting MPs. It is fantastic that Norfolk is fortunate enough to have four MYPs attending, and I am sure they’ll do an excellent job of representing the views of all young people across the county. I know they will make a valuable contribution to the debate.”
Nationally, 253,637 young people voted in the Make Your Mark poll with ‘make public transport cheaper, better and accessible for all’ also coming out on top. The national poll reflected the opinions of Norfolk’s young people apart from ‘a national choice of a curriculum to prepare us for life’ that polled more national votes, so will be included in the Westminster debate.
Following the Westminster debate, MYPs will choose one topic to be the UKYP’s national campaign for 2013.
Last year the winning topic was “safe, accessible and affordable transport for young people”. It subsequently became the subject of a Youth Select Committee inquiry with recommendations to Government due out this autumn.
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For political comment
Cllr Thomas Garrod (Cons), Deputy Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, 01493 733273
Cllr Mervyn Scutter (Lib Dem), 01603 454841
Cllr Richard Bearman (Green) 01603 504124
Cllr Sue Whitaker (Lab) 01603 620957 or 07920 286602
