Over the past decade there has been an expansion of youth councils, cabinets, parliaments and forums funded and supported by local authorities, and across political parties. There is also growing recognition and evidence that youth participation and representation not only benefits young people during their transition to adulthood, but can also result in better quality decision making for those who facilitate it.

In order to assess how widely these sorts of opportunities are being provided, the British Youth Council conducted a survey which was completed by representatives from local authorities in June 2012.

The survey gave a list of all of the ways in which young people across the UK are being given a voice and local authorities to indicate which one(s) they provided.

This briefing document outlines the main findings of the survey