FRESH ideas about boosting young people's interest in Worcestershire politics will be debated by school children next week.

From lowering the voting age to 16, to extending e-voting trials, every aspect of the constitution will be discussed during Local Democracy Week, which begins on Monday.

The ideas will be the hot topic of conversation at a question time session involving city and county councillors from Worcester who will be answering questions from Worcestershire high school pupils.

One of the panellists taking part in Wednesday's Question Time at The Guildhall will be Worcester city councillor Simon Geraghty. He became Britain's youngest council deputy leader at the age of 27 and hopes Local Democracy Week will encourage youngsters to follow his path.

"It's about listening to the things that matter to young people and showing how we can make a difference," said Coun Geraghty.

"Disinterest in politics among my generation is a worrying trend, but rather than bemoan that fact, we politicians need to be more pro-active in engaging with young people to show how we can respond to their needs and aspirations."

Other participants include Worcester members of the youth parliament, Nimneh Hyde and Jade Bayer, along with city councillor Marc Bayliss and county councillors John Buckley and Andy Baker.

Coun Baker said he believes youngsters are showing just as much interest in important political issues - but that must be harnessed to focus on the bread and butter local government issues.

"I don't think they are any less interested than in the 1960s when young people were very, very aware because of the Vietnam war and global events," said Coun Baker.

"You can compare that to now - a lot of young people showed their views on Iraq which shows there is some level of interest. You can't pretend things like recycling rubbish are as 'sexy' as a war, but it is something they can make a difference about."

Events

Other events taking place around Worcestershire include youngsters at The Chantry High School, in Martley, learning about the different roles of local authorities and a joint surgery at Westlands Community Centre in Droitwich on Saturday, October 11, when district and county councillors will meet informally with youngsters.

An internet contest called I'm a Councillor Get Me Out of Here!, involving five Worcestershire county councillors, will also run throughout the week.