Youths in Lewes are putting their dreams of political power on hold after plans to create a junior town council were shelved.

Wannabe politicians will have to wait until September for discussions to begin on setting up the junior chamber.

An election campaign scheduled for July has been postponed due to Lewes Town Council's heavy workload but organisers said the plan remained a priority.

The children's council would mirror the adult version as far as possible, with elections held in schools and candidates standing on the issues they consider important.

The brainchild of Lewes Mayor John Webber is being backed by schools and colleges.

Former headteacher Mr Webber said: "My hope is that it will be up and running before my mayoral term ends in May.

"Encouraging the involvement of young people in local government is one of the reasons I got involved with the council in the first place."

A council working party will begin talks with the education authorities in September. Issues to be discussed will include how the council should be structured, how elections will take place, the age range of candidates, how many members will be involved and their roles.

They will also decide whether over-18s are eligible for election after it was pointed out that, although 18-year-olds can vote, only 21-year-olds can stand.