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The National Democracy Week Awards will be held for the first time next Monday 2 July at the People’s Museum in Manchester, to kick off celebrations for National Democracy Week.

The awards recognise pioneering individuals and organisations who have demonstrated exceptional service in increasing democratic engagement in the UK. Nominees have been shortlisted across four national categories:

Young Advocate of the Year Award:

• Staffordshire’s UK Youth Parliament Representatives for democratic services to young people in the region
• Rachael Farrington from South London for democratic services in launching Voting Counts website
• Matteo Bergami from Stanmore for founding ShoutOutUK.org, a platform to engage young people in the political process
• Dan Lawes from Manchester for promoting youth voter registration

Diversity Champion of the Year Award:

• Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management (Up Our Street) for helping give its diverse community a voice in politics
• Harrow Mencap for helping to empower people with learning disabilities to engage with politicians and candidates
• Harris Bokhari from Epsom for his drive to engage diverse communities in the political process
• Sara Livadeas from Oxford for her campaign to help people in care homes vote

Changemaker of the Year Award:

• Mehala Osborne from Bristol for her campaign to help domestic abuse survivors register to vote
• 50:50 Parliament #AskHerToStand for their campaign to increase the number of female candidates for Parliament
• My Life My Say for opening cafes nationwide where young people can engage in political discussion in a safe space
• Harriet Andrews from Manchester for running digital surgeries to connect young people with their elected representatives

Collaboration of the Year Award:

• The People’s History Museum in Manchester for working with communities to tell the story of the fight for LGBT+ rights
• Situation Novoville in the West Midlands for using innovative online chat interfaces to engage the public in digital services
• National Adult Learners’ Forum (Scotland) for promoting adult learning services in disadvantaged communities in Scotland.

National Democracy Week is being held in July to coincide with and celebrate the 90th anniversary of the 1928 Equal Franchise Act – a further historic constitutional milestone which granted equal voting rights to men and women.

Over the course of the week, a series of nationwide events are being held by charities and community groups across the country, aimed at inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in democracy.

Winners of the awards will be announced next Monday 2 July.

Further details on National Democracy Week can be found here.

Notes to editors

• The criteria to be shortlisted for each of the awards can be found here.
• The Prime Minister answered a question at Prime Minister’s Question Time on 6 June about National Democracy Week. Read the full transcript here.
• National Democracy Week events will take place on a national and local level to encourage members of the public to get involved with our democracy, in particular those from under-registered groups, including young people, BAME groups, British ex-pats, and people with disabilities. Events can be found here.
• The week will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918 when the first British women over 30 (who met a property qualification) won the right to vote and the 90th anniversary of the Equal Franchise Act 1928 which granted equal voting rights to men and women.
• The week is being delivered in collaboration with the National Democracy Week Council members, the Cabinet Office and partners across the country. Council members can be found here.
• Follow us on social media at #talkdemocracy
• You can find out more about National Democracy Week on the website: https://democracyweek.campaign.gov.uk/
• For further information on National Democracy Week, contact the Cabinet Office Press Office on 0207 276 0436.
• It takes about 5 minutes to register to vote online. To find out more visit https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Residents are being invited to learn more about the Outstays to Skeffling Managed Realignment Scheme by attending the surgery at Patrington Village Hall, Church Lane, 11am to 3.3pm on Thursday 5 July.

Being delivered in partnership with Associated British Ports, the scheme will see a new inter-tidal environment created that offsets habitat losses from future coastal development and climate change.

It is a legal obligation for the Environment Agency to rebalance the reduction in habitats caused by ‘coastal squeeze’, which occurs when fixed hard flood defence structures, built to protect people and properties along the coast, reduce the inter-tidal land between low and high tide as a result of rising sea levels.

As part of the proposed scheme a 900 acre natural habitat site will be created for estuarine and terrestrial wildlife and an improved landscaped flood defence will surround this area to help reduce the risk of flooding to the local community.

The Environment Agency and Associated British Ports say they are hoping to announce the final design and plans this autumn, with the planning application being submitted before the end of the year and construction starting in spring 2019.

Around three million couples across the UK have boosted their finances with Marriage Allowance, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced today.

More than a million married and civil partnered couples are still eligible for the free tax break worth up to £238 a year. And thanks to the start of the new tax year couples can backdate their allowance and boost their payment up to £900 – just in time for the summer holidays.

Applying for Marriage Allowance is quick and easy and once an application is complete it’s processed immediately. The new online form takes fewer than ten minutes to fill out and eligible customers will receive backdated claims of up to £662 as a lump sum. Over 300,000 couples have signed up for the Marriage Allowance tax break since March 2018.

Mel Stride MP, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said:

It’s great news that so many couples are now benefitting from Marriage Allowance. This is a really important tax relief and reflects the social importance of marriages and civil partnerships.

And I’d urge those that haven’t yet managed to claim the money to do so right away – it’s quick and easy to apply. Just search online for Marriage Allowance and go to the GOV.UK site.

Mel Stride on Marriage Allowance

Further Information

• Everyone has a tax-free personal allowance of £11,850 and no tax is due on income up to this amount. The Marriage Allowance allows a spouse or civil partner who is a non-taxpayer to transfer £1,190 of it to their partner.
• About four million married couples, including around 15,000 civil partnerships, stand to benefit from the Marriage Allowance, which was introduced in April 2015.
• Couples have four years to claim their backdated allowance and can apply online