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Right To Be Heard
Are you interested in politics? Or the way that your town, county or country is run? Are you interested in an issue, or cause, enough to be a member of a campaigning group ? Do youth and student issues concern you?
There are several ways to make your voice make your voice heard. These include:
| |  | voting in council and general elections | | | | standing for election to a council or parliament | | | | joining political parties, campaigning organisations and student unions
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Voting
Voting is the most important way to make your voice heard on the issues that concern you.
Fair and free elections are an essential part of a democracy. In the UK elections allow citizens, over the age of 18, to determine how they want the country to be governed.
Decisions are made on your behalf every day. These can be
| | | local issues (schools, housing, recreational facilities, etc) | | | | national issues ( health care, education, taxation, defence, etc) | | | | global issues (international relations, trade, the environment)
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This is why that, once you are 18, you’ll have the chance to vote in three types of elections:
| | | local council elections (normally Somerset County Council, your district council and, in some places, your town or parish council) | | | | national general elections (to decide who represents your area in the House of Commons at Westminster) | | | | European elections (to decide who represents your region in the European parliament)
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Depending on the type, elections tend to happen every four or five years.
Councils and councillors
Somerset has three types of council:
| | | Somerset County Council – responsible for things like education, care, transport and highways throughout the county | | | | district councils (Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, Taunton Deane, West Somerset) – responsible for services such as recreation, housing and street cleaning) | | | | parish and town councils (in some communities only) – responsible for certain services and activities that are agreed locally.
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Councillors are ordinary men and women who give up their time to serve the needs of local people. They are elected to represent a particular locality (known as a ward) on a council. To become a councillor you have to be over 21.
Councillors meet to make decisions about how services are provided in the council area. Councils employ people, often known as council officials, to make these services work on a daily basis.
Some places in the country, but not Somerset at the moment, have mayors elected by local people. In Somerset mayors are councillors elected by other councillors to serve as mayor for a year at a time.
For more information contact Somerset Direct on 0845 345 9166 or your local council.
Members of parliament
If you live in Somerset you have two types:
| | | Members of Parliament (MPs), elected in a general election usually every four of five years, who represents your area (known as a constituency) in the House of Commons at Westminster. Find out about your MP through Somerset Direct on 0845 345 9166 or at www.direct.gov.uk | | | | Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) elected in an European election. You can discover more at about your MEP and the European parliament at www.europarl.org.uk. Somerset Direct (see above) can also give details of your MEP
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Youth politics and action
If you are not 18, you can still help to influence the Government on what it does for young people like you across the whole country.
This can be done through organisations and channels such as:
| | | UK Youth Parliament: www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk | | | | British Youth Council: www.byc.org.uk | | | | Votes at 16: www.votesat16.org.uk | | | | Somerset County Youth Service: www.somersetyouth.co.uk
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Information and contacts
About My Vote www.aboutmyvote.co.uk - helps you register to vote and find out more about elections
Explore Parliament www.explore.parliament.uk - what happens in Parliament? do you know what the House of Commons or House of Lords look like?
Electoral Commission www.electoralcommission.gov.uk – UK Parliament site aiming to get people more interested in the democratic process by promoting awareness of electoral matters.
Do Politics www.dopolitics.co.uk - aims to encourage young people to get involved in the democratic process.
UK Youth Parliament www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk - set up to give young people under 18 a voice listened to by government, political parties and service providers. There are elections to the parliament
Votes at 16 www.votesat16.org.uk – at 16 you’re old enough to pay taxes, leave school, marry and join the armed forces but not vote. This site campaigns to lower the age of voting.
Directgov www.direct.gov.uk/YoungPeople/fs/en - government site sections for young people on topics such as health, leisure and politics.
British Youth Council www.byc.org.uk – run by young people to represent their views to government, political parties, pressure groups and the media.
10 Downing Street www.youngpeople.pm.gov.uk – special site aimed at young people from the office of the Prime Minister.
11 Million www.11million.org.uk – news for England’s 11 million children and young people from the Children's Commissioner
Heads Up www.headsup.org.uk - aimed at young people under 18 who want to discuss the latest political issues.
Somerset County Youth Service www.somersetyouth.co.uk - provides district action groups that work to represent young people's voices. Contact 01823 447120 if you want to become involved.
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