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Ahead of the English local elections on Thursday, the Electoral Commission has urged Britain's young people to use their vote.

The call came as a commission survey found that new voting methods and younger representatives could increase turnout among voters aged between 18 and 24.

Of the 900 people surveyed, 43 per cent preferred to vote using email and text messaging to register their preference. The survey suggested that over half were planning to vote, although this reduced to 44 per cent among the student population.

However, 65 per cent of the total and 59 per cent of students indicated that they wanted to see a greater number of councillors aged between 18 and 24.

One in four felt that their vote made no difference at all, while only a third of those questioned knew the name of their MP. This increased to 45 per cent among students.

Sam Younger, chairman of the Electoral Commission, said the work was aimed at encouraging young people to "think about how local elections effect them".