Ludlow Conservatives to support 18 year old councillors and MPs
Proposals put forward to increase participation of young adults in politicsLudlow Parliamentary Candidate, Philip Dunne, called for the age at which adults can run for election to be lowered to 18, opening the door to 18, 19 and 20 year old councillors in Shropshire.
The independent elections watchdog, the Electoral Commission, is currently consulting on what age people should be allowed to vote and stand in elections. Conservatives have maintained that 18 is the age at which an individual becomes an adult and should be entitled to full citizenship rights - including the right to vote and run in any election.
Philip Dunne responded to gimmicky Liberal Democrat calls for a voting age of 16.
"Talking to sixth formers around the Ludlow Constituency who are interested in politics, I do not detect much enthusiasm for lowering the voting age will do nothing to address the underlying causes of apathy and voter disillusionment among young people - it would actually just serve to lower the average level of turnout as young people are the least likely to vote.
"Yet opening the door to younger elected representatives - such as 18 year old councillors on South Shropshire and Bridgnorth District Councils - will do far more to re-engage young people in politics and create a new tier of representatives who truly appreciate the issues that young people are concerned with. The same rules should apply to running for Parliament - the electorate are the best people to decide whether an individual has enough experience to be a Parliamentarian.
"This new policy is a sign of Conservatives' growing support amongst younger generations. Shropshire Conservatives already have two of the youngest councillors in the country, Kirsty and James Barrow on Oswestry Borough Council and the youngest councillor on Bridgnorth District Council, Laetitia Cash. Conservatives also have the youngest Parliamentarian in Britain - Laura Anne Jones of the Welsh Assembly, official representation on the National Union of Students, and a vote-winning policy of abolishing tuition fees."
