Local MP, Maria Miller, was visited a number of schools as part of UK Parliament Week, which took place between 1-7 November.
Maria spent time with the student School Councils at Park View Primary, Manor Field Juniors, Cranbourne School and Brighton Hill Community School.
Maria said: “I am determined to ensure that our voters and citizens of tomorrow understand how vital their participation is in our democracy. It is great to speak with pupils’ School Councils, not only to talk about the work of Parliament and my role as a MP, but also to hear about the issues that matter to them both here in Basingstoke as well as nationally. I’m constantly impressed by the insightful and challenging questions posed by students, and I applaud the hard work of staff who have encouraged involvement in the political process through their teaching and by signing up for events such as UK Parliament week.
This year nearly 10,000 events were planned across the UK. Basingstoke was the joint 15th most active constituency out of 650, with 19 events planned. It is so important for a healthy democracy that people are engaged with the political process, and I’m really encouraged to see the number of participants in UK Parliament Week increasing year on year.”