Listening to tomorrow's voters today

Margaret Hodge MP for Barking and Minister for Children, Young People and Families has called on central and local government to learn to listen more to young people during a keynote speech at the 'Local Democracy Conference' hosted by the Local Government Association on Thursday 16th October 2003.

Mrs Hodge drew upon research she conducted in her own constituency to highlight the challenges faced by those wishing to engage young people in politics and democracy. The audience included councillors and members of the UK Youth Parliament.

Mrs Hodge said:

"In a survey of 200 young people in Barking that I conducted last year, 4 out of 10 young people said they would never vote. That saddens me, as MP for Barking I want to represent all my constituents, including young people."

"However, my research shows that we make a mistake if we then assume that young people are not interested in politics. They are. My research showed that young people in Barking hold the same concerns as everyone else, and they feel just as passionately about health, education, crime and transport. We need to change the way we 'do' our politics to make it more meaningful to show that we are engaging young people in things that matter to them. We need to take politics out of Westminster if we are to revitalise our democracy."

Mrs Hodge said she welcomed initiatives like Youth Forums set up by local authorities as one means to engage young people in local and national issues. She said:

"Sixty new members of the Barking and Dagenham (BAD) Youth Forum were elected this week. I think that proves that young people are interested in issues that affect them and their community. I congratulate the new BAD Forum members on their election and look forward to listening to their views and opinions."

Margaret Hodge MP spoke at the Local Government Association's 'A Young Voice in Society' Conference held in Smith Square London on Thursday 16th October 2003.