Packed programme of activities to celebrate local democracy
WHO are you going to vote for at the next election?
Will it be the candidate from the Birthday Party, the Holiday Party, or maybe the Christmas Party better suits your political ideals.
That was the choice faced by children from Morecambe Bay and Sandylands primary schools as part of a fun mock election organised by Lancaster City Council.
Morecambe Town Hall was the venue for the special day activities, which came at the end of a packed week of events celebrating Local Democracy Week – a national campaign aimed at getting young people more involved with their local council.
The day started with a mock election in which ‘candidates’ from different political parties vied for the children’s votes.
They then moved on to a mock council meeting chaired by the Mayor of Lancaster, Coun Roger Sherlock.
In the afternoon the schoolchildren played the popular ‘Pupil Power’ game in which they were presented with a list of council services.
With only £12million to spend, and the total cost of running all the services coming in at £20million, the aim of the game is to encourage the children to make tough choices to keep within budget.
Other activities that took place during Local Democracy Week included a climate change challenge and an environment day, where children learned about the importance of hygiene, recycling and keeping the environment free of litter.
Date Updated: 20/10/09