Bishop of St Albans visits Townsend for "Bite the Ballot"

Last Wednesday Townsend hosted a visit by the charity ‘Bite the Ballot’.  The event was also supported by the Bishop of St Albans who attended for the afternoon.  The event was aimed at sixth form students and encouraged them to consider their democratic participation in the country.  One activity involved the students deciding how they would spend the government’s money and then comparing it with the actual expenditure of parliament.  The point was powerfully made that many resources are aimed at supporting the over 50’s because these are the people who actually take part in elections, whilst the 18-24’s tend to lose out on government spending, partly because they do not participate as much in the democratic process.  All the students were encouraged to register for the electoral roll so that they can vote once they are 18.  The afternoon ended with Bishop Allan responding to a question and answer session which covered areas from how much the Church of England contributed in taxation to whether he considered that politicians really reflected the views of ordinary people.  The afternoon was a great success as students were able to share ideas and opinions and consider their responsibilities as they look towards taking their place in modern British society.