A record number of young people turned out to vote for Shropshire’s new Members of Youth Parliament in the New Year. Young people, aged 11 to 18 have been voting for their MYPs at schools and colleges throughout the area.
More than 17,330 votes were cast between December 2011 and the end of January 2012, which is the biggest turn-out since MYP elections were first held in Shropshire in 1999. The successful candidates were announced in February at the Council Chamber of the Shirehall, during a special election results evening which was organised by Shropshire Council’s customer insight team.
The new MYPs will represent young people locally, regionally and nationally for the next 12 months and they will ensure that young people’s views are heard. MYPs will also influence policies on a range of issues which affect them and other local young people.
George Battson, aged 16 from The Priory School in Shrewsbury and Luke Harper, aged 16 from Minsterley and who attends Shrewsbury Sixth Form College, have been chosen as the county’s MYPs in the Shropshire Council-run elections. Niamh Limerick, aged 14 from Thomas Adams School in Wem and 17-year-old Bethany Lord, from Shrewsbury Sixth Form College and who lives in Ruyton-XI-Towns, were voted as deputy MYPs.
Councillor Keith Barrow, Leader of Shropshire Council, said “I would like to congratulate our successful candidates. Being a MYP is a great opportunity for young people to get a taste of local democracy and understand how the process works. It’s fantastic to see so many young people in Shropshire taking an interest in the issues that matter to them and their local communities.”
Councillor Karen Burgoyne, Deputy Cabinet member, added “Thousands of young people are making their voices heard by voting in the MYP elections and the MYPs are very active in helping the council to decide its priorities and scrutinise its work. I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome George, Luke, Niamh and Bethany to the role and wish them the best of luck, and look forward to working alongside them in the future.”
Shropshire Council’s customer insight team, which organised the results evening attended by young people from across Shrewsbury and Shropshire, will support the elected MYPs in carrying out their roles over the next year.
For more information about the MYP elections and the work involved, contact Lorraine Warrender on 01743 210417 or Dawn Lewis on 01743 210415. Alternatively, visit www.shropshireyouth.com
(In picture: Names of young people are Luke Harper, George Battson, Niamh Limerick and Bethany Lord. Councillors are Karen Burgoyne and Keith Barrow Leader of the Council.)
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