The Story behind Bus Stop 39
Everybody uses some of the services provided by their local councils.
By paying taxes, every adult in the UK contributes to the cost of those services, through local Council Tax, or national taxes.
Some services can be a matter of life or death – the Fire Service is an obvious example, but not the only one.
So why don’t more voters turn out in local elections?
One reason is that people simply don’t know what their councils – County and Borough (or district) – actually do, and how important their services are to everyday life.
What’s Bus Stop 39 got to do with it?
Bus Stop 39 aims to give young people an insight into their local council and its services, as well as offering the opportunity to be part of one of the UK’s first online teen soaps, enabling them to make informed choices when the chance to vote in local elections arises.
It makes use of young people’s confidence with keyboard and keypad communications, their appetite for soap opera, and the increasing popularity of internet ‘blogging’. And while council services are woven into the storyline, it is young people in five Norfolk schools, under the guidance of an experienced scriptwriter, who will be steering the storyline, developing the characters and deciding which issues to include.
The emphasis is on a strong storyline to keep readers logging on. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved with the Bus Stop 39 story, by signing up for text teasers, posting advice and comments on the site, and even listening to the characters' favourite local bands. To find out more about the council services mentioned in Bus Stop 39, just follow the links to County and Borough Council web pages.
The project is being managed by The Garage in Norwich on behalf of Norfolk County Council and the Borough Councils of King's Lynn & West Norfolk and Great Yarmouth, who developed the original concept. The schools taking part are King Edward VII High and The Park High (King's Lynn), and Flegg High, Caister High and John Grant Special Schools (Great Yarmouth). The website has been created by the Norfolk Freelance Network.
Who is paying?
Bus Stop 39 is being paid for by European 'evoice' funding as an innovative way of supporting local democracy. Evoice is part of the EU’s InterReg programme.
How can I find out more?
If you cannot find what you need from the website and linked pages, contact John Birchall, Joint Communications Officer, on 01603 222973 or 07721 551877.
