These people are spending YOUR money. Find out how!

Money and politics.

A combination that has caused such a stir over the last 12 months, that MPs now face the kind of public backlash which has never been seen by many young people.

The expenses scandal explicitly proves that our senior elected officials are as human as the rest of us but let it not detract from the fantastic work that is being done by other politicians, importantly at a local level.

Over the past two months I have racked up almost twenty visits to councils of all levels up and down the country and I can honestly say that the vast majority of local politicians (i.e. councillors) are extremely well intentioned and want to provide the best possible outcomes for their constituents and in particular young people.

Although councils raise a significant amount of money through taxes, these funds have to cover a wide range of services which all fight for importance. While people need public swimming pools and clean parks, they also need to have their rubbish collected and their drains unblocked.

Our Local Councillor Shadowing Programme allows participants to see politics in the heartlands - locally, where much of the hard work doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

By getting the chance to do things like sit in on a Full Council Meeting, attend a ward walk or participate in a Councillor's Question Time, young people are able to get a comprehensive appreciation of the work of their local councillor(s) and the tough decisions they are faced with.

By getting closer to this process, participants are able to get closer to their local democracy and find answers to some of the questions which nag them day to day.

Not only this, we are hoping that councillors also learn from the experience to ensure they don't end up as unpopular as some MPs :)

For more information, please email Henry - henry.tapp@byc.org.uk