The UK Youth Parliament is the key outlet for young people to express their views on the issues that matter most to them. Hampshire’s newly elected Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs) and their Deputies (DMYPs) will now go on to represent the voices of young people in their local areas to decision makers at a local, regional, and national level.
The new MYPs and DMYPs representing each of the seven areas in Hampshire are:
East Hampshire (Horndean, Petersfield, Liphook, Bordon and Alton)
- Member of Youth Parliament - Will Sharps
- Deputy Member of Youth Parliament - Safwan Chowdhury
South East Hampshire (Fareham, Waterlooville, Havant, Purbrook, Emsworth and Hayling Island)
- Member of Youth Parliament - Scarlett Bugler
- Deputy Member of Youth Parliament - Eli Noy
South Hampshire (Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh, Botley, Netley, Warsash, Titchfield, Stubbington and Gosport)
- Member of Youth Parliament - Callum Rodrigues
- Deputy Member of Youth Parliament - Dylan Matthias
South West Hampshire (New Forest)
- Member of Youth Parliament - Sarp Lale
- Deputy Member of Youth Parliament - Briannah Butler
Central Hampshire (Eastleigh, Romsey and Winchester)
- Member of Youth Parliament - Aryaveer Baljee
- Deputy Member of Youth Parliament – Joshua Mulford
North West Hampshire (Andover, Whitchurch, Tadley and Basingstoke)
- Member of Youth Parliament - Gabriel Llewellyn-Hyde
- Deputy Member of Youth Parliament – Oscar-Bertie Vallance
North East Hampshire (Farnborough, Aldershot, Hook and Odiham)
- Member of Youth Parliament - Olivia O’Reilly
- Deputy Member of Youth Parliament - Poppy Maunders
This year, for the first time, those candidates who were not elected will become members of the Hampshire Youth Council, meaning they still have an opportunity to influence and inform the decisions that affect young people’s lives.
Councillor Roz Chadd, Deputy Leader of Hampshire County Council, congratulated the newly elected Members at an election results night at Hampshire County Council’s Ashburton Hall on Monday 11 December. She said: “It’s a real pleasure for Hampshire County Council to support our Youth Parliament. It's fantastic to have such a strong youth voice across Hampshire and the candidates elected are a real credit to all the young people in Hampshire.”
Councillor Chadd was joined by 18-year-old Dmitrijs Meiksans, former Member of Youth Parliament for North West Hampshire. Thanks to his membership of the Hampshire Youth Parliament, Dmitrijs recently had the opportunity to lead a debate at the House of Commons on the importance of food quality. His involvement reflects the commitment of young leaders in Hampshire to engaging with the democratic process and advocating for positive change.
Speaking at Monday’s election results, he commented: “We have seen an incredible calibre of candidates rise up and be elected – Deputy Members and Members of the Youth Parliament that will join the brand new cohort from March onwards for a two-year term. I’m very excited to see what they’re going to be capable of doing through campaigning locally, regionally and nationally on the topics that matter to them and their constituents the most.”
The 2024 Hampshire Youth Parliament election results come ahead of next year’s Make Your Mark consultation, the largest youth consultation of its kind in the UK and an opportunity for all young people aged 11-18 to have their say on the biggest issues facing them. The environment and health and wellbeing have both previously ranked amongst the top concerns identified by young people in Hampshire. Next year’s consultation will run from 29 January to 8 March 2024, and the results will help to steer the direction of Hampshire Youth Parliament’s campaign plans from 2024-2026. For more information, visit the British Youth Council website.
To find out more about the Hampshire Youth Parliament, visit www.hampshireyp.org.