Count

Feeling a bit cross workwise.
 
We’ve just had our local youth council elections and had 29 candidates standing for 12 places. Super turnout; best ever yet.
 
I recruited seven young people from local schools to help with the vote count – everything is done exactly as an adult local election and all the proper procedures followed. We also had a number of adult counters, including my current line manager, Victor. (There may be a future rant about Victor.) The results of the count were read out in the evening by the council’s Head of Legal and Democratic Services and in its own way was quite high profile. He read them out in descending order.
 
Victor’s only comment on the whole day was that it was a pity the unsuccessful candidates had been named and that maybe it would have been better not to say that they were being announced in order. Not a single mention of the good practice in involving young people in the count, not a thought for the “behind-the-scenes” organisation and no consideration of the fact that he had given us absolutely no support whatsoever apart from turning up on the day and leaving early.
 
Anyway.
 
For health and safety reasons and because of duty of care, we don’t give out the young peoples’ surnames or any personal information. There have been problems in the past when young people have been contacted directly and it’s simpler all round to protect them and only release the office telephone number and address.
 
Bearing this in mind, the council officer involved sent a press release to the papers. There was loads of information on it, but one of our local papers queried it saying, "Many thanks – but surely if they are to represent the local young people we should be able to print their full names. In addition they should surely want to be fully identified so that people know who they are."
 
He’s got a point, so immediately the council replied and explained the reasons for withholding the young peoples’ full names. The result was an article in the paper entitled,
 
“Public kept guessing who winners are of the youth elections”
 
(don’t even mention the bad use of language in this headline!)
 
and the article started with “(Town) Council has announced the results of the youth council elections – but still no-one knows who the successful candidates are.” It then went on to say that they had interviewed the officers of a neighbouring council, who are also running youth elections, and they ARE going to give out surnames.
 
My town’s council has stayed consistent with the county model and recommendations. The neighbouring one hasn’t, yet we’re the ones who get the negative press.
 
And. Victor is involved in neighbouring council’s youth council elections.
 
Grump.