When the nation goes to the polls next year, there will be a new political party in the starting blocks.

And while the new party is aiming for national appeal, its young leader hopes its first success will be in the Tory stronghold of Skipton and Ripon.

The Youth Party, with its birthplace and head office in Settle, has been put together by Joe Lord who, last year, became Settle’s youngest-ever town councillor at the age of 20.

Joe, now 21 and a youth development worker for North Yorkshire County Council, believes young people should have a strong political voice. But he is also insistent that his party will have wider appeal.

“It isn’t exclusively for young people. Anyone from anywhere can be involved, whatever age,” he said.

The party has been registered with the Electoral Commission, has a manifesto and has a candidate ready to stand for the Skipton and Ripon seat. It also has the tools of the trade more associated with modern trends, including social networking site Facebook. The Youth Party is in the process of setting up a Facebook group as a means of gathering momentum and popularity.

Joe said it was disillusionment with the lack of consideration for young people, particularly when it came to decisions that affected them, that prompted him into action.

“The idea was formed as I was thinking of ways to highlight young people’s issues. I was disappointed by the support I had got from some politicians. They didn’t think young people were a serious topic. To them, young people should be kept out of politics. But politics is for everyone. So, I decided to form a political party founded on these issues. I spoke to various young people, who really liked the idea.”

Joe sensed there was a need to look at political issues from a wider perspective, from those who still have 70 or 80 years to live and for whom matters such as climate change are more important because they will affect them for longer.

“We were fed up of being ignored when major decisions affecting us were being taken without our views being taken into account,” he said. “Just because someone isn’t old enough to vote doesn’t mean they don’t have opinions.”

Joe said time was in short supply and hoped the elections would be no earlier than next June. “If it’s June we should be alright. By then we hope to have at least 10 candidates throughout the country with Dylan Gilligan, from Settle, standing for Skipton and Ripon. He will be 18 by then,” said Joe.

Currently the seat is held by Conservative MP David Curry who is standing down at the end of this political term.

The Youth Party’s manifesto is straightforward and its policies are split into young people’s issues and national issues.

One major point on the agenda is to get recognition in education for over-achievers.

“There is a lot of support for special educational needs for less able students, and rightly so, but the above average students also have special educational needs and in many schools they receive little or no extra support. Under the Youth Party every student will be encouraged to achieve their fullest potential,” said Joe.

Other policies highlight the need for an improved public transport system, run on a not-for-profit basis, for those too young to drive or unable to afford to learn. The party also wants to see more youth workers, free music lessons as part of the school curriculum and the participation of young people in decision- making.

“Tax is paid from when you are 16 years old, but you can’t have a say in how that money is to be spent for another two years,” said Joe.

National issues the party aims to tackle include: the creation of a Parliamentary hotel to negate the need for second homes allowance; a fairer benefits system where tokens will be awarded instead of money; a reduction in Secretaries of State swapping ministries and heading departments where they have no knowledge of the field; the allocation of land for food production in preparation for climate change; and more recognition for the real community heroes, such as nurses and soldiers, and less of a society that lives in a celebrity culture and idolises TV personalities.

“We are still in the early stages, but want help from anyone who is interested in helping, from actually standing for Parliament to designing leaflets, anything they want to do really. The biggest challenge will be raising funds for candidate deposits, but we have some plans in place,” said Joe.

He also remains realistic about the party’s chances of getting a member into Parliament.

“We know that will be a difficult task and don’t expect to achieve it straight away.

“The main reason for getting this party together is to get candidates out there and get the issues we feel matter into the political arena.”

For more information, or a copy of the manifesto, email theyouthparty@hotmail.co.uk