Medway's first Young Mayor is chosen by 7 to 18 year olds and voting shuts on Monday 31 August. Eight candidates stand; the seven runners-up become deputies.

Medway is picking its first ever Young Mayor, and children have less than two weeks left to vote. Medway Council opened the ballot on Monday 1 June and it closes on Monday 31 August 2026. Every child and young person living in Medway aged 7 to 18 gets one vote.

Eight candidates are standing. The one with the most votes becomes Young Mayor and the seven runners-up all become Young Deputy Mayors, so nobody who reaches the ballot leaves empty handed. The winners take post on 28 September 2026 and serve until 31 August 2027.

How to vote before the deadline

The council lists three ways to cast a vote:

  • online, through the council’s voting form
  • on paper in schools and community groups
  • in person at Child-friendly Medway events

Two of those routes have effectively closed. Paper voting slips had to be handed in by the end of July or the end of the summer term, to leave time for counting. That leaves the online form and one remaining event.

The online form asks for four things: the child’s name, their date of birth, the name of their school or college if they attend one, and a parent or carer’s email address. The council says the email address is used only to stop the same child voting twice, that it will not reply to it, and that only one vote per email address is accepted. Households with more than one child voting online are told to contact the Child-friendly Medway team first.

Super Saturday is the last chance to vote in person

The final in-person vote lands at Super Saturday in Chatham. The council announced the event on 17 August and its own listings page carries the practical detail:

  • Date: Saturday 29 August 2026
  • Time: 10am to 4pm
  • Where: Pentagon Shopping Centre, High Street, Chatham, ME4 4HY
  • Cost: free, and drop-in, though the craft activities need a free booking

The council says the day will bring classic cinema cars, a hero-themed trail, mask design and a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters to the High Street and the shopping centre. Council services and partner organisations will have stands there too. The event is delivered with Love Chatham and the Pentagon Shopping Centre, and is partly funded through the Medway Together Fund.

Cllr Adam Price, the council’s Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, said in the announcement that the day “also marks the last opportunity for children and young people to vote for our first ever Young Mayor”.

Timeline of key dates for the Medway Young Mayor election: voting opened 1 June 2026, paper slips from schools were due back at the end of July, Super Saturday on 29 August is the last in-person vote, online voting closes 31 August, and the Young Mayor takes post on 28 September 2026
The Young Mayor timetable. Graphic by Medway Live from Medway Council's published voting terms and event listings.

What the Young Mayor actually does

The council is explicit that this is a celebratory role, not a political one. The Young Mayor is described as a champion for children who feeds young residents’ views back to the council. The job sits alongside the Medway Youth Council and Medway’s two UK Youth Parliament members rather than replacing either.

The published duties are:

  • handing out awards and judging competitions
  • small speaking roles at events
  • photo and press opportunities
  • attending Child-friendly Medway City Hall events to hear what matters to young people

A new Young Mayor and seven deputies are to be chosen every year, running September to August.

The rules if the vote is close

The council has published the counting rules in full. Worth knowing:

  • if two candidates draw, the shortlisting panel’s votes are added and decide the result
  • if a candidate withdraws, the number of deputies drops by one and votes cast for them are void
  • voting records, including paper slips, are kept securely for one year in case of scrutiny, then destroyed
  • personal data is not shared beyond the Child-friendly Medway team

We are not naming the eight candidates. They are children, and the council has not published their names on the voting page.

The programme is looking for sponsors

Separately, the council is asking Medway businesses to sponsor the Young Mayor programme. Four tiers are on offer to registered Medway businesses, each running for 12 months:

Tier Cost
Bronze £500
Silver £1,000
Gold £2,500
Platinum £10,000

Bronze buys a listing on the Young Mayor website and logo placement on presentations and event slides. Platinum adds a feature in Medway Matters magazine, branded social media tiles and invitations to council events.

What it means for you

If you have a child aged 7 to 18 in Medway, the practical position is simple. The online form is open until Monday 31 August, it takes a parent or carer’s email address, and each child gets one vote. If you would rather they voted in person, Saturday 29 August at the Pentagon is the last opportunity, and the event is free to walk into.

If you run a Medway business and the sponsorship interests you, the contact point for both voting help and sponsorship enquiries is childfriendly@medway.gov.uk.

Planning a trip into Chatham for the day is worth a moment’s thought, because the town centre is busy on a Saturday. Our guides to parking in Medway and Medway roadworks and travel cover the current closures and the car parks nearest the High Street.

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