Chesterfield Borough Council – Local Democracy Week

In 2015 Chesterfield Borough Council started to take part in Local Democracy Week, working with a handful of schools to give children and young people the opportunity to meet councillors and take part in debates. 

This has grown to a year round activity enabling over a thousand children and young people at local primary, junior, senior and special schools as well as Chesterfield College to learn more about local democracy, the council and how they can engage in politics and civic life.

We have tackled a huge range of issues over the years with lively debates, votes and even a chance to be mayor for the day, but for 2021 – 2022 we are tackling the big one – Climate Change.

Our Local Democracy programme has been revamped and we are looking forward to working schools and colleges over the next two years to ensure that our future electorate not only get the chance to learn more about the council, politics and civic life but also to inform the next phase of our Climate Change Action Plan and working and the wider community to reach our targets.

We will still be debating, voting and electing a mayor but we will also be playing the Climate Change ‘Game of Life’ and using participatory budgeting techniques to demonstrate just how tricky decision making can be.