RAISING the minimum wage, cutting obesity levels and cheaper transport fares for young people were all issues debated at the annual conference of the UK Youth Parliament, held in Nottingham yesterday.
Hundreds of young people from around the country came together at East Midlands Conference Centre in the grounds of the University of Nottingham to pitch their arguments for and against a variety of political issues.
Elected members of the Youth Parliament took to the podium to argue their case, before a vote was taken on whether their proposed policy should form part of the parliament's manifesto, due to be published later in the year.
Among the crowd was 17-year-old Lingyi Yang, of Kingswood Road, West Bridgford, who said that two of the most prominent problems young people had to deal with were finding a job and bad press from the media.
She said: "I know some friends that have been trying to find work for months. Even if it's a position in McDonald's there are still 100 applications. "In that respect things are tougher today than they used to be ten or 20 years ago. Businesses should be encouraged to offer apprenticeships and work experience these."
Michael Downey, 16, of Wood Grove, Calverton, said that, for him, raising the minimum wage for 16 and 17-year-olds was the most important issue discussed of the day.
He said: "It needs to be raised in line with the cost of living. There is a huge difference between the minimum wages for when you leave school and get a job. As a 16 or 17-year-old, you can only earn £3.60 an hour but this then jumps to over £6 when you're 21.
"I would like to see the basic rate increased."
But for Rebecca Cutts, 17, of Worksop, lowering transport fares so young people can catch buses and trains cheaper is top priority.
She said: "I have spoken with some of my friends who live in rural areas and transport is a real issue for them. Some of them have had to turn down jobs because they simply can't get to their place of work on time."
Of the policies which made it through the vote the Youth Parliament will now pick 12 to 15 issues and then ask all young people in the country to decide which of those issues should be of the highest priority. They will be online at www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk.
The youth parliament will then discuss the results in the House of Commons before deciding on what issue will be its main campaign for the year.
Youth worker Amy Sharpe said: "Young people need to come together and vote for their top priority when the manifesto is published.
"Their vote really can make a difference."
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