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RESOLVED:
1.      That this Council resolves to
ask the Chief Executive of the City Council to write to the
city’s three Labour MPs requesting them to fulfil their
party's pledge to reduce the voting age to 16 for all local and
national elections, and to urge the Government to legislate for
this to happen in time for all elections taking place from May 2026
onwards.

2.      That this Council
believes that such a step is both urgent and imperative
because:

a)      Millions of young people
are employed at 16, pay taxes, spend money that benefits the
economy, enter post-secondary education, get married and join the
Forces.  They should be able to give their opinion on these
and other issues by being able to vote.

b)      With so much current
evidence of voter disaffection the earlier that young people can be
meaningfully engaged in decisions that affect their future the
better.  

c)      In Scotland and Wales
young people over the age of 16 can vote in devolved
elections.  Their English counterparts should have a similar
right.

d)      To do so will be
consistent with the Council's own record, namely a vote in favour
of votes at 16 in January 2015, longstanding support for the MK
Youth Council, two representatives in the UK Youth Parliament and -
more recently - its commitment to a Youth Mayor, and
Deputy. 

e)      It will reflect young
people's own commitment.  The results of this year’s
Make Your Mark ballot organised by the British Youth Council placed
Milton Keynes among the top 20 local authorities for both turnout
and volume of responses, with 10,051 young people taking
part.