Candidates vying to become members of the district's youth parliament are on the streets this week hoping to draw at least 20,000 young people to the polling booths.

Posters were today emblazoned on the sides of buses urging people to vote for 30 members for the new Bradford and Keighley Youth Parliament on September 24.

And the 50 candidates, whose ages range from 11 to 25, are launching their intensive campaigns in schools, halls and streets, speaking on issues including an end to racism, battle against crime and better facilities for young people.

The parliament will be based on the district's existing constituencies with six elected candidates for each. Many of the contestants are still at school and they have already been trained in campaigning skills and their responsibilities if they are elected.

The Council's youth service co-ordinator Norina Rashid said they were aiming for at least 20,000 voters from the district's 101,000 young people aged between 11 and 25.

She said: "It will be the equivalent of 20 per cent and the turn-out at the Council's elections was around 30 per cent. But this is something totally new."

An election team of ten Council youth staff is working from headquarters in city centre offices in Woolston House, producing literature, advising candidates and taking calls from people wanting information about the election which will be the first of its type in Britain.

BKYP, which will be the country's biggest youth parliament, is the only one to have a real election with young people being trained to take on all the work.

The young people will staff all the polling stations, do the counts and choose returning officers for each constituency, who will announce the results in the counts on election night.

Norina said it would then be up to the new Members of YPs to decide how they would operate in their constituencies and deal with the electorate.

But she said: "Everything is going to be in the open. If the MYPs meet to talk together the public will be present."

Dave Bates, Council youth participation worker on the elections team, said: "I think it is really exciting and we are getting a lot of feedback and enthusiasm. It's hard work and we are finding it a lot of fun as well."