Agenda item

This paper updates members about progress on developing the selection processes for the Children and Young People’s Champion.

Members considered a report that updated them on the progress of developing the selection processes for the Children and Young People’s Champion.

Officers said that they had explored the viability of various e-voting options including ‘I’m a Councillor Get Me Out of Here’, the university student union system, York College students and e-voting. It was concluded that these were not practical options as they were either too expensive or the facilities were not available to make them possible.

Members were presented with the following options:

Option 1        Full election process including ballot boxes and numbered ballot papers involving all primary and secondary schools within the City.

Option 2        Election process including numbered ballot papers involving all primary and secondary schools within the City.

Option 3        Election process using un-numbered ballots in all primary and secondary schools within the City.

Members discussed option 3 and decided that they would prefer to give the children and young people the experience of using ballot boxes rather than having teachers collect the ballot papers. It was suggested that the younger children might like to make ballot boxes to use.

Members discussed the possibility of including all students at York College in the election process and Officers agreed to research the viability of this. It was noted that a large percentage of students at the college were not resident in York and it would be therefore difficult to police who was eligible to vote.

Some Members thought that Executive and Shadow Executive Members should be allowed to stand for selection as the Children and Young People’s Champion and felt it was unfair to exclude any Members. They were of the opinion that it was a matter for the children and young people to decide who they wanted to elect to represent them. Other Members felt that Executive and Shadow Executive Members should be excluded so that the new Champion would be able to report back to the Executive and Shadow Executive meetings on behalf of children and young people. It was therefore agreed that the wording in Annex 1 to the report (Role description for the Children and Young People’s Champion) be amended as per the fifth recommendation set out below.

RESOLVED:             That the Working Group advise the Executive Member that:

1.      Members agree to the process outlined at option 3 of the report with the amendment that ballot boxes be used instead of the ballot papers being collected by teaching staff.

2.      Members agree the revised role description for the children and young people’s champion as outlined in Paragraph 22 of the report and Appendix 1

3.      Members agree to the election rules as outlined in paragraph 23 of the report and Annex 2.

4.      Members agree to the election timetable as outlined in paragraph 24 of the report and Annex 3

5.      Members agree that any final amendments to the rules, timetable, process and or delivery required be delegated to Officers and the Executive Members and Shadow Executive Members for Youth and Social Inclusion. The following alterations were suggested:

·        That the Wording in paragraph 2 of Annex 1 to the report be amended to read ‘The role of the Children and Young People’s Champion must be filled by an Elected Member who is preferably not a member of the Executive or Shadow Executive’. This amendment should be reflected within the ‘Children and Young People’s Election Rules’.

·        That the work to advertise the election on the YorOK website be delegated to Officers in consultation with the Executive and Shadow Executive Members for Youth and Social Inclusion

·        That the wording in paragraph 12 of Annex 2 be amended to read ‘Every effort will be made to ensure as wide spread participation as possible’.

·        That the wording in paragraph 13 of Annex 2 be amended to ‘Ballots will be run through primary, secondary and special schools within the City.

·        Officers make effort to ensure that eligible young people attending York College are able to vote.

REASON:                  To ensure that:

·        the vote is extended to the maximum amount of children and young people at a reasonable cost

·        that the role description fits with the new Constitution

·        a fair and transparent process for the election of a new Children and Young People’s Champion takes place

·        that the election of a new Children and Young People’s Champion takes place as swiftly as possible.