Warwickshire’s youth take over House of Lords
Warwickshire’s Members of Youth Parliament will be joined by hundreds of other young people when they take over the House of Lords today.
Twenty-five million adults across England and Wales have the chance to have their say in the local and Mayoral elections on 1 May. In a bid to ensure young people’s voices are heard, 300 Members of the Youth Parliament will take over the House of Lords chamber the following day (2 May) to debate issues of importance to young people.
Members of the UK Youth Parliament for Warwickshire will be amongst those sitting in the House of Lords. They include Ben Wesson, aged 15 from Warwick district, 16-year-old Mohammed Sheikh and 17-year-old Aniqah Vorajee from Nuneaton and Bedworth, and South Warwickshire’s James Handy.
Helen Essex from Warwickshire County Council’s Youth and Community Service will accompany the group. The County Council organises the elections for the Members of Youth Parliament in Warwickshire and provides support to local MYPs.
It will be the first time the UK Youth Parliament has sat in Parliament itself.
The issues to be debated in the House of Lords include;
National public transport concession cards for young people under the age of 18
University tuition fees
Single age at which young people are deemed to become an adult
Fair and accurate representation of young people in the media
Lowering the voting age to 16
Recycling and the environment