Citizenship Processes (AQA GCSE Citizenship Studies): Exam Questions

Influencing Local Government

A planning decision about building a new supermarket in rural Dorset will shortly be discussed by the local District Council.
Concern has been expressed by local citizens living nearby about the impact of the development upon the local village community.
Two public meetings have already been held in the village where large numbers of villagers have complained to the Council about the proposal. Many feel that just complaining to the Council is not enough and want to take more action and involve others who may disagree with the development.
The development is adjacent to an RSPB nature reserve, and the National Trust own farmland that the developers will need to acquire.
The local newspaper has already printed several letters from residents opposed to the plans.
The issue could become very political, as local District Council elections will be held in the area in the next few months.

Warm Banks

During recent winters, around 6.5 million UK households have faced ‘fuel poverty’ due to rising energy prices. This meant they were unable to afford to heat their homes to the temperature needed to keep warm and healthy.

This led to:

• unsafe homes

• rising debts

• poor health.

‘Warm Banks’ are free heated indoor spaces where people can go to warm up if they cannot afford to pay for heating. Many of these places provide warm drinks too. Over 50% of councils in England and Wales have been involved in setting up warm banks or supporting others to set them up. Charities, councils, community groups and businesses have helped people who are struggling to keep warm.

Some of the places opened as warm banks have included:

• libraries

• places of worship

• football stadiums

• pubs.

The Warm Welcome campaign created an online map listing all the warm banks across the UK. Additionally, the hashtags #warmbanks and #warmhubs were used widely on social media to help people find places to keep warm.

The real Living Wage

Founded by Citizens UK in 2001, the Living Wage is calculated according to the cost of living in the UK:

The Living Wage is £9.50 per hour. The London Living Wage is £10.85 per hour.

This is different to the government’s National Living Wage (minimum wage) which is £8.72 per hour.

Citizens of Greater Manchester, together with Manchester food banks, have published an open letter campaigning for Manchester United and Manchester City football clubs to help tackle poverty in their city by becoming Living Wage Employers.

Dear Ferran Soriano and Ed Woodward,

We’re writing to ask you to do the right thing on behalf of the lowest paid staff at your clubs.

Both clubs are loved by so many in the city, and many have been inspired by the vital work your clubs have done… But the reality is that many of your own staff, including caterers and cleaners, are themselves struggling to put food on the table because they don’t earn the real Living Wage.

Everton FC and Liverpool FC were the first two Premier League clubs to accredit and have since been followed by West Ham, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

Today we urge you to join them, do the right thing by your staff and supporters, and become Living Wage Employers without delay.

Yours Sincerely, [signed by Greater Manchester citizens, food banks, various places of worship and community groups]

Children and Young People’s Mental Health

The emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people is just as important as their physical health and wellbeing. Research carried out by the National Children’s Bureau in 2019 found that extreme pressure to achieve at school and the effects of social media harm the mental health of children and young people.

According to Young Minds:

• 1 in 8 children and young people aged 5 – 19 have a diagnosable mental health condition

• emotional disorders are the most common type of disorder experienced by 5 – 19 year-olds

• 75% of all mental health problems are established by the time someone is 24

• 75% of young people who are experiencing mental health problems are not receiving treatment.

Significant improvements to mental health services for children and young people are needed.

Most schools have some support in place to help develop emotional wellbeing among their students. However, spending cuts by local councils on children’s mental health services has meant this support was mostly being paid for from the schools’ own budgets. Only a third of the support was paid for by organisations other than the school.

Necessity not luxury

People cannot always afford products (eg soap and shampoo) which help them to maintain their personal hygiene. This is called hygiene poverty.

There is a lot of information about food poverty and fuel poverty, but little information about hygiene poverty.

One type of hygiene poverty is ‘period poverty’. This means where women and girls are unable to afford feminine hygiene products (eg sanitary towels and tampons). Research in 2017 by Plan International UK found that:

• 1 in 10 girls have been unable to afford sanitary products

• 1 in 7 girls have had to ask to borrow sanitary products from a friend due to affordability issues

• Nearly half (48%) of girls aged 14-21 in the UK are embarrassed by their periods.

Hygiene poverty can affect boys as well as girls. The charity In Kind Direct did some research in 2017 which showed that almost half (47%) of teachers say they have children who attend without having cleaned their teeth.

Rough-sleepers do not have any accommodation and live on the streets. They have very limited access to washing facilities and toilets. This can prevent them from maintaining their personal hygiene.

People who have left places where they have been victims of domestic violence are often unable to afford personal hygiene items.