The 2012 Mayoral Elections is fast approaching and now is the time to get your voice heard, as a new Mayor of London will be chosen. All concerns, issues or problems can be brought to attention, discussed at the houses of parliament and so are more likely to be resolved.
Did you know?
- Being on the electoral register helps your credit rating
- You gain a sense of personal power and satisfaction of knowing you have voiced your opinion
- Voting ensures safer communities and better health care
- An election is only as strong as its democracy. So your vote counts!
The candidate who receives the most votes will have specific powers and duties and a general responsibility to promote economic, social and environmental improvement in London. All decisions and policies made by the Mayor of London will affect every person living in London.
Sway says: ‘If we stay quiet about things, they’re not going to provide for us, because it is not in their best interest. We have to stand firm as a youth community and start making our voices heard.’
Youth unemployment is soaring and steps need to be made if there is any chance of this being changed. After all, ‘we are the future’ but improvements will not be made if we do nothing and voting has never been easier. The Mayor of London will set out plans covering transport, university fees, planning and development, housing, economic development, culture, health inequalities and a range of environmental issues including climate change, ambient noise, waste disposal and air quality. All these decisions made will therefore affect every single one of us in some way.‘Sway- If we stay quiet about things, they’re not going to provide for us, because it is not in their best interest. We have to stand firm as a youth community and start making our voices heard.’
There are four candidates to choose from so lets see what they have to say:
Boris Johnson – Currently the Mayor of London since 2008. British Conservative politician and journalist with positive plans to keep London moving forward
‘This is an election about who you trust to get us through the tough times. The choices we make now will determine whether our city strives or declines’
Ken Livingstone – British Labour Politician and was the Mayor of London 2000-2008
‘If every young person went out and voted, there would be more debate on those issues that effect young people. My focus will be to do everything I can to protect Londoners from the recession and the effects of the Government’s policies.’
Brian Paddick – British Liberal Democrats Politician. Born and raised in south London and served over 30 years for Metropolitan Police
‘I want to establish new youth clubs where young people can go rather than hanging around on the streets and get the banks to pay for them. It’s so, so important that young people vote, because politicians are very cynical people and only listen to people who they think they can get votes out of’.
Siobhan Benita – Independent candidate so is not under any party but wants to make London ‘the best city ever’
‘Vote for the candidate who is going to put people above party politics. I want to give young people a real voice. If you get out and vote, you can decide what happens in this election.’
The Riots in August 2011, following the death of Mark Duggan who was shot dead by the police, caused outrage across the UK. What started as a police protest ended up being one of the biggest public riots England has ever seen, highlighting some of the serious issues and concerns many young people had. Lack of employment opportunities, government funding cuts and a general sense of social deprivation were some of the issues young people were hoping to change. Although there were reports of the government looking into the problems, there has been no sufficient evidence of change.
Many young people have already refused to be seen as the ‘silent generation’ and attended Youth Vote London on Saturday 14th April which was held at the popular nightclub, Ministry of Sound attended by politicians to motivate and encourage youths to vote and answering any questions the audience may have had. The event included talented celebrities such as comedian Kevin J, singer Princess Nyah and UK rapper Sway.
Often, young people think that their votes do not count and so stay quiet but Sway strongly disagrees that this is the right approach. He says: ‘If we stay quiet about things, they’re not going to provide for us, because it is not in their best interest. We have to stand firm as a youth community and start making our voices heard’.‘Sway- If we stay quiet about things, they’re not going to provide for us, because it is not in their best interest. We have to stand firm as a youth community and start making our voices heard.’
London Mayoral Elections Date: May 3rd 2012
Voting Deadline: 18th April at Midnight
To find out how the voting works click here
Check out what Mz Bratt, Alesha Dixon, Ashley Walters, Tine Tempah, Estelle and other celebs have to say below:
