Young people aged between 11 and 18 years-old in Brecon and Radnorshire have been voting for candidates to represent their constituency in the Welsh Youth Parliament.

This is only the second Welsh Youth Parliament to be assembled, as in 2016 Members of the Senedd agreed to set up a Welsh parliament for young people in Wales.

The members of the First Welsh Parliament were elected in December 2018 and stayed there for two years until 2020.

Elin Jones MS, Llywydd of the Senedd has praised the first ever Welsh Youth Parliament and is excited for the future of the establishment, saying: “The Welsh Youth Parliament has been a huge success, it is an excellent way for young people across the country to make their views heard.

“Young people have just as much stake in our country as everyone else, and members of the first Welsh Youth Parliament have demonstrated their passion, activism and ability to influence decisions.”

The elected members discussed issues regarding young people and the whole of Wales. Over the two years, the first Welsh Youth Parliament chose to prioritise: life skills in the school curriculum, emotional and mental health support, and littering and plastic waste.

Former Welsh Youth Parliament Member for Torfaen, Maisy Evans, explained what topics were discussed in the first Welsh Youth Parliament: “The topics we discussed wasn’t to do with ‘politics’ - it was everyday life. The environment, schools, health services; everything that matters.”

There is 40 constituency seats in the Youth Parliament which are decided by young people’s votes in the election. Partner organisations will select 20 more members of the Youth Parliament to make sure there is representation of diverse groups in young people.

Every single constituency in the country has received near 300 candidates registering in a fight for their seat. Voting closed on Monday 22 November and the longly-awaited election results will be announced on Wednesday, December 1. The newly elected members will hold their first meeting in the New Year and start discussing important issues in Wales.