Agenda item

To consider the following motion, notice of which was given on 18 March 2019 by Dr Walsh.

This Council believes that young people at the age of 16 and 17 are well equipped to engage and participate in all elections across the UK as endorsed by the majority of County Councillors and Youth Cabinet members who took part in a debate on lowering the voting age in September 2018.  Every 16-year-old receiving school education will have completed citizenship classes.  Therefore, lowering the voting age to 16, combined with strong citizenship education, empowers young people to better engage in society and influence decisions that will define their future.

16 and 17-year-olds have been denied the chance to influence decisions made by politicians about issues that massively affect their lives, such as tuition fees, the EU referendum, transport and the living wage.  Also, the impact that many local services have on young people are provided by local government, such as education, social care and leisure.  As a starting point, we would like to see the voting age lowered in West Sussex elections first, followed by national elections.  We believe that allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in selected parts of the UK and not others is unjustified. The Scottish Government passed the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Bill, which allows all 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in all Scottish elections from May 2016.  Young people’s participation in the Scottish Referendum demonstrates that they are eager to engage as 75% of 16 and 17-year-olds turned out to vote.

Lowering the voting age to 16 complement the law as, at 16, the law allows a person to:

•  Give full consent to medical treatment

•  Pay income tax and National Insurance

•  Obtain tax credits and welfare benefits in their own right

•  Consent to sexual relationships

•  Get married or enter a civil partnership, with parental consent

•  Change their name by deed poll

•  Become a director of a company

•  Serve in the armed forces but not deployed on the front line

The Council therefore calls on the Governance Committee to:

(1)      Support the proposals to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in local West Sussex elections, followed at a future time by national elections; and

(2)      Ask local MPs and the Government to support the proposals to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in local West Sussex elections, followed at a future time by national elections.

12.1   The following motion was moved by Dr Walsh and seconded by Mr Jones. 

‘This Council believes that young people at the age of 16 and 17 are well equipped to engage and participate in all elections across the UK as endorsed by the majority of County Councillors and Youth Cabinet members who took part in a debate on lowering the voting age in September 2018.  Every 16-year-old receiving school education will have completed citizenship classes.  Therefore, lowering the voting age to 16, combined with strong citizenship education, empowers young people to better engage in society and influence decisions that will define their future.

16 and 17-year-olds have been denied the chance to influence decisions made by politicians about issues that massively affect their lives, such as tuition fees, the EU referendum, transport and the living wage.  Also, the impact that many local services have on young people are provided by local government, such as education, social care and leisure.  As a starting point, we would like to see the voting age lowered in West Sussex elections first, followed by national elections.  We believe that allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in selected parts of the UK and not others is unjustified. The Scottish Government passed the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Bill, which allows all 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in all Scottish elections from May 2016.  Young people’s participation in the Scottish Referendum demonstrates that they are eager to engage as 75% of 16 and 17-year-olds turned out to vote.

Lowering the voting age to 16 complement the law as, at 16, the law allows a person to:

•    Give full consent to medical treatment

•    Pay income tax and National Insurance

•    Obtain tax credits and welfare benefits in their own right

•    Consent to sexual relationships

•    Get married or enter a civil partnership, with parental consent

•    Change their name by deed poll

•    Become a director of a company

•    Serve in the armed forces but not deployed on the front line

The Council therefore calls on the Governance Committee to:

(1)     Support the proposals to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in local West Sussex elections, followed at a future time by national elections; and

(2)     Ask local MPs and the Government to support the proposals to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in local West Sussex elections, followed at a future time by national elections.

12.2  The motion was put to a recorded vote under Standing Order 35.5.

(a)     For the motion – 29

Mr Acraman,Mr Baldwin,Mr Barling,Mr Boram,Mr Catchpole,Dr Dennis, Mrs Duncton, Mr Elkins,Ms Goldsmith,Mr Hillier,Mrs Jones,Mr Jones, Mrs Jupp,Mr Jupp,Ms Lord, Mr Marshall,Mrs Millson, Mr Mitchell, Mr R J Oakley, Dr O’Kelly, Mr Patel, Mrs Pendleton, Mrs Purnell,Mr Quinn, Mrs Russell,Mr Smytherman, Mrs Urquhart, Mr Waight and Dr Walsh.

(b)     Against the motion – 24

Mrs Arculus, Lt Cdr Atkins, Mr Barrett-Miles, Mrs Bennett, Mr Bradbury, Mr Bradford, Mrs Bridges, Mr Burrett, Mr Cloake, Mr Crow, Mrs Dennis, Mr Fitzjohn, Mr High, Mr Hunt, Ms Kennard, Mrs Kitchen, Mr Lanzer, Mr McDonald, Mr Montyn, Mr S J Oakley, Mr Parikh, Mr Simmons, Mrs Sparkes and Mr Turner.

(c)     Abstentions – 2

Mr Barnard and Mr Edwards.

12.3   The motion was carried.