Question 1: There is nothing for young people in this area to do. Many get bored which results in anti-social behaviour. What will you do?

The the main thing young people want is an opportunity to contribute to society, to work and to earn their own money and be treated like adults. I started my first job as soon as I was legally able to, aged 16 and I am shocked at how patronising the schemes to help young people today are. Most of them are focused around youth clubs and “play” instead of around getting the useful skills that will help them to integrate successfully and quickly with the rest of society. I think the key to tackling this problem is to get young people working.

Under Labour, youth unemployment has reached over 900,000, with one in five young people unable to find a job. We are at risk of creating a lost generation of young people without the skills to participate in the workforce, without hope for the future.
We need to empower young people to do things for themselves. That is what our Big Society program is about.

So here are the manifesto pledges that will address these issues.
1) We will promote fair access to universities, the professions, and good jobs for young people from all backgrounds.
2) We’ll create 400,000 work pairing, apprenticeship, college and training places over two years;
3) give small businesses a £2,000 bonus for every apprentice they hire;
4) We will introduce National Citizen Service. The initial flagship project will provide a programme for 16 year olds to give them a chance to develop the skills needed to be active and responsible citizens, mix with people from different backgrounds, and start getting involved in their communities.