City Councillors back Lib Dem motion to strengthen young people’s voice in Local Government

This means that Youth Councillors, including the Youth Mayor and Deputy Youth Mayor, will be able to ask questions at Full Council and Cabinet meetings – further empowering young people in local democracy.

At last week’s Full Council meeting, Liberal Democrat Councillors called for dedicated time for Youth Council members to engage with Cabinet Members. Whilst public questions are already received at both Full Council and Cabinet meetings, there had previously been no specific provision for the newly elected Youth Council to participate in these discussions.

The motion which was passed unanimously also urged the City Council to explore ways Youth Councillors’ views can be embedded in policy development.

Additionally, the motion renewed the call for the Government to lower the voting age to 16 in its forthcoming elections bill this spring.

Leader of Milton Keynes Liberal Democrats, Councillor Jane Carr, said:

“We brought this motion to Council after listening to the thoughts and experiences of MK Youth Council. Our Youth Councillors are not only ambassadors for the Council, but also for Milton Keynes as a whole. It’s only right they’re involved in shaping the city’s future, and I’m pleased they will now have a platform to do just that.”

Councillor Sophie Bell, Shadow Cabinet Member for Young People, added:

“As Milton Keynes moves towards its plans for 2050, today’s young people will inherit the city we are developing. Even as one of the youngest councillors on the City Council, my experiences as a teenager are already very different from their experiences today. It’s vital we give them a voice in meetings so we can create policies that truly benefit them.”

Speaking at the Full Council meeting, Milton Keynes Youth Mayor, Maggie Beckett, said:

“A massive thank you to Councillor Carr for bringing this motion forward, and to everyone who has supported us. Young people care about politics, just not in the party-political sense we are used to. They campaign, protest and rally behind the causes they support, but often feel that standing up in a council chamber is an unreachable goal. The fact that 94 young people with some as young as 11 stood as candidates for this year’s Youth Council elections demonstrates just how willing they are to take on this responsibility.”

Liberal Democrat councillors have long championed youth involvement in local government, having previously secured the appointment of Milton Keynes’ first ever Youth Mayor and consistently advocating for the voting age to be lowered to 16.