WHEN I’m out and about in Penarth and Cardiff, I meet and talk to people of all ages – from grandparents and parents, to young people and teenagers who are still in school, from the Vale Youth Forum to sixth-formers at St Cyres and Stanwell.

Like many of my colleagues I’ve been concerned to hear from some young voters, who will qualify to vote for the first time in this year’s General Election, that they feel disengaged from politics, that they don’t really know what politicians can do for them, or that they do not intend to vote at all. I’m also very worried that thousands of young people and students appear to have been wiped off the electoral register, due to changes in the registration process by the UK government.

I’m therefore supporting #ShapeYourFuture - a consultation launched last week, which aims to put the ideas and aspirations of young people at the heart of Labour’s plan for the next generation.

This consultation presents a unique opportunity for young voters to become engaged in politics and the political process ahead of the General Election, and indeed afterwards.

I firmly believe that young people and their views and concerns must be heard, because they are absolutely crucial as we continue our efforts to offer a better and fairer future, and as we try to restore the intergenerational promise that children and grandchildren should have better life chances than their parents and grandparents had.

Labour has already made a number of pledges which will help young people, from creating better and more job opportunities, and ensuring a fairer deal for those already in work by increasing the minimum wage and banning exploitative zero hours contracts; to opening up politics for young people by giving 16 and 17-year-olds the vote.

But the purpose of this consultation is to find out what else young people want to see a Labour Government deliver for them – so we’re asking them to tell us what one policy they would most like to see from a Labour Government to help shape their future.

We want to know what matters to young people, what would make the biggest difference to them and their lives, and how they want politics to be different.

Young people can tweet their ideas using the hashtag #shapeyourfuture, or go online to complete the survey on the national website: www.labour.org.uk/shapeyourfuture

And if you are a young person who wants to make sure you’re entitled to vote, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.