North Jesmond Liberal Democrats Councillor Gerry Keating said targeting the student vote will play a large role in securing student support in the ward at the forthcoming local elections in May 2024.

And Cllr Keating has hopes that mobilising the student vote could help the party’s performance. “I would like to think that we could reach 10 or 15% of the student vote,” he told JesmondLocal. “There is a large number of students in the area.”

Cllr Keating would like to see a revival of previous local elections at a time when “the student vote was very valuable to the Liberal Democrats.”

He joined the Liberal Party – currently known as the Liberal Democrats – in 1996 and has worked as a local councillor on and off since the mid-1980s.

The former RGS Newcastle teacher said asking students about issues affecting them is key to driving their involvement in local politics. He claimed this tactic has led to “more engaged students.”

The Liberal Democrats hold two of the three council seats in North Jesmond. The Lib Dems maintained this position for the past year following Labour’s defeat at the last local election.

However, students in North Jesmond have complained of a “disconnect” to councillors in the area.

“None of my friends have ever spoken about local politics, and I think anyone registered to vote is registered at home,” said Mia, a 22-year-old politics student from North Jesmond.

She added: “I would consider voting if there was more engagement.”

Kaitlyn, aged 25, observed a similar trend among councillors in the ward.

“I feel a bit out of the loop with local politics, I live in Jesmond but we never get any flyers or anything like that,” she said.

The student voice falls low on the priority list for local councillors according to Sean, who is in his first year of university.

“In my experience, there aren’t any policies that target young people or students in general,” he said.

Politics lecturer Brian Boyle told JesmondLocal age is a factor in determining voter turnout in local areas. “Younger voters who do take part in local elections are more likely to be those with a strong attachment to a political party or those with a keen interest in political affairs,” he said.

“So while a minority of politically active students might be very likely to participate, the student vote in general doesn’t seem to be one of the biggest drivers of turnout.”

He added: “When it comes to contests with lower turnouts such as local elections, this pattern is even stronger, with younger voters and those in private rented accommodation being even less likely to take part compared to UK general elections.”