It took a lot of encouragement for me to understand that being elected could be a platform to increase the impact of the work I was already doing. It is important to recommend the role to others who might not have considered it to help build the pipeline of talented candidates that local government needs.
I’ve spent much of my life being the youngest person in the room. From starting my career as a software engineer at just 15, to being a general election candidate at only 20, I always seem to be in a hurry.
So it shouldn’t have been a surprise that, in May 2022, I became the youngest councillor elected in Newham. But I didn’t see it coming.
Despite having joined the Green Party before ever voting, I had no grand plan to build a political career. I still don’t.
But I have never been the kind of person who, when they see a problem, waits for somebody else’s permission to fight it.
I’m learning that this drive to take action is exactly the perspective so often missing in local government – and this is a trait that is frequently (but not exclusively) found in younger councillors.
Prior to being elected, I was already active in the community – organising food bank and winter coat collections, protesting a new road tunnel, campaigning for stronger protections for LGBTQIA+ communities and against racism.
But it took the encouragement of other Green Party members for me to understand that being elected could be a platform to increase the impact of the work I was already doing.
You can do the role your own way, and limited time will force you to prioritise and focus your attention where you can make the difference only you could have made.
Local government has an outsized impact on the life experiences of young people – more than most of us realise. Just a few more young councillors in your community (or any at all) could go a long way to ensuring your council delivers for everyone.
A version of this case study was first published in the LGA’s first magazine.