Medway Council’s Youth Mayor Scheme has good intentions, but there are much more problems that need £35k a year

[embed]Medway Young Mayor scheme given green light The ceremonial role, held by an 11 year old pupil, aims to get more children invested in local politics by the time the…www.kentonline.co.uk

Additional reporting by Abiona Boja

I’m all for introducing children to the importance of politics, but when Medway Council is on the verge of bankruptcy and wants to spend £35k-a-year of external money to create a youth mayor, I don’t know how this will succeed, especially with the cost-of-living crisis.

For those not in the know, the scheme involves children choosing a peer that will represent them in events across Medway and voice any issues they have, allowing pupils to get involved in the world of politics.

Firstly, the concept of electing a mayor that’s 10–11 years old and not teenagers or young adults who are more likely to be concerned about where they live as they take their first steps into the adult world doesn’t sit right with me. What would children realistically want to see from their local council? Hearing words like “stopping homelessness” or “ban littering” is, in all due respect, not going to fix the mountain of financial problems Medway Council already has. Youngsters of this age already have so much on their minds like transitioning to secondary school and building the foundations for further education, so why would they need this responsibility when they’re not even at voting age?

The cost-of-living is already making the position of a youth mayor even more questionable, as food banks and charity shops in the area are already being pushed to their limits, with families not even able to afford school uniforms and food. I can’t help but think this is one of the main problems Medway Council needs to invest in tackling first. Spending more than £2,500 on robes, a hat and medals for the position is simply insult to injury to families who are choosing between heating or eating, let alone struggling to find their children clothes to wear.

For Medway to truly reach its status as “child-friendly”, the council’s attention needs to be focused on the foundational issues youth in the area and themselves are facing.