MOVES to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 have been backed by a North-East MP.

Dr Paul Williams, Labour MP for Stockton South, supported cross-party moves by a group of MPs to amend the Overseas Electors Bill debated in Parliament yesterday, so that 16 and 17 year-olds can gain the right to vote.

The move comes as Stockton Labour fields an unprecedented team of people under 25 in May's council elections in Stockton, with Lauriane Povey, 23, standing in Billingham North, Katie Weston, 22, in Billingham West and Owen Riddle, 23, in Bishopsgarth and Elm Tree.

Dr Williams highlighted a 2013 report by think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research which showed that if people vote in the first election in which they are eligible then they are far more likely to vote in subsequent elections.

He said that sparking political engagement from the age of 16 through schools and families, makes it more likely that individuals will vote for life and engage in the political process.

He said he had been impressed by the level of political engagement among youngsters in Stockton.

Dr Williams said: “I speak to young people in Teesside and I know they’re politically aware and engaged.

"But they’re frustrated that decisions that will directly impact them are being made by older generations.

“When I ran for Parliament, I promised to be an MP for everyone in Stockton South – for those who voted for me and those who didn’t, and for those who were old enough to vote and those who weren’t.

“16-year-olds can work, pay income tax and engage in their local communities, so it’s time that they had the right to vote too.”

Labour council candidate Mr Riddle added: "Young people aged 16-17 are able to contribute and play an active role in society in so many ways as those aged over 18 do yet they are not afforded the right to have a say in it.”

“When speaking to residents in my ward, you see the side effects of this.

"Youth services have been cut and young people are relying on food parcels and period poverty donations.

"They're concerned about the local as well as the wider environment and of course things like Brexit and tuition fees yet they can't vote to address these concerns. There's nothing to justify this imbalance in our democracy."