UK Youth welcomes Government plans for year ahead

UK Youth has welcomed the Government’s commitment in the King’s Speech today to tackle a range of issues affecting young people.

However, the previous commitment to lower the voting age to 16 was not included and this was a missed opportunity.

The King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament today outlined the Government’s legislative plans for the year ahead. King Charles III said there will be legislation introduced to help tackle anti-social behaviour. 

The King also outlined plans for a new organisation called Skills England. This will be a “partnership with employers at its heart”, bringing together government, businesses, unions and training providers. This will be accompanied by reform of the Apprenticeship Levy, which is a tax paid by employers to fund apprenticeships. 

King Charles III also said his government will improve the National Health Service as “a service for all”. This will include improving mental health provision for young people and ensuring “mental health is given the same attention and focus as physical health”. 

However, although the King said his Government will “encourage wide participation in the democratic process”, there was no specific mention of Labour’s key pre-election pledge to give 16 and 17-year-olds the vote, something UK Youth says would be a “welcome sign of trust and respect for young people”. 

Jacob Diggle, UK Youth chief impact officer, said: “The speech was an opportunity announce the introduction of votes at 16 – an easy win for engaging young people in democracy. There was cross-party support for this and we hoped the change could have been made before the local government elections in 2025. 

“However, it was good to see commitments to other important issues affecting young people – including anti-social behaviour, employment and mental health. These are all issues which we know youth work offers an effective solution. 

“We urge the Government to invest in youth work for the benefit of young people nationwide – UK Youth’s Untapped research has shown increasing investment in youth work can actually save billions of pounds by improving employment and health outcomes, and reducing crime. 

“UK Youth looks forward to continuing our work with the Government to unlock the power of youth work for all.” 

UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. With an open network of more than 8,000 youth organisations and nation partners; UK Youth reaches more than four million young people across the UK and is focused on unlocking youth work as the catalyst of change that is needed now more than ever. To find out more, visit ukyouth.org 

UK Youth is involved in a range of programmes designed to help young people thrive, such as outdoor learning, physical literacy, social action and employability, including Hatch. For more on UK Youth’s programmes, see ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes