Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson has called on local schools to make it their New Year’s resolution to visit Parliament, highlighting funding available to help young people learn about democracy.
Tours tailored specially for schools can be arranged through Parliament’s dedicated Education Team. In the last academic year over 70,000 pupils visited from 2,300 different schools across the UK, including 171 pupils from seven schools in Pendle.
Schools from Pendle are eligible for a subsidy to cover 75% of travel costs, up to a maximum of £1,600. This is aimed at making the trip affordable.
Bookings for the summer term are open until 27th January with some short notice opportunities in the coming weeks listed on the Parliament website.
Mr Stephenson said, “2019 will see the UK Parliament become more important than it has been in most people’s adult lifetimes, including my own, as control over a large number of laws is returned from Europe. Our youngest generation will be affected by this and should know about how their future vote can affect the way this country is governed.
“I’ve been delighted to see ever more Pendle schools visit Parliament in recent years but know other schools could be taking up the opportunity.”
More information on visiting Parliament is available online at www.parliament.uk/education
