Young councillors: Local politics 'not like the West Wing'

Local politics is an old person's game.

And it's not just me saying that - the most recent survey of local councillors shows the average age of a councillor is now 60.

Three years ago I interviewed four of the youngest councillors elected to the last administration at Bristol City Council.

Now the dust has settled on two sets of recent elections, I went back to see how they fared, and spoke to some even younger new councillors.

Conservative councillor for Stoke Bishop, Henry Michallat, 26, said he was like a "rabbit in the headlights" when he was first elected.

"Because you're quite young, you think that you don't belong there when everyone else is much older.

"I was so conscious when I started that I didn't accidentally vote the wrong way because there's various buttons you press.

"There's this thought that if you're running for elected office, you know what you're doing, but if you've never done this before it can be daunting," he said.

When the Conservatives were in government earlier this year, he also faced some unusual questions from members of the public.

"People would email me for national issues, and say 'can you tell Rishi Sunak this?' like I have his mobile number.

"I met the Prime Minister once and I definitely don't have Rishi on speed-dial," he added.

Former Labour councillor Marley Bennett was also sent some strange requests from the public.

"People got in touch complaining about the Bristol Hum, alongside things you'd expect like litter and potholes," the 28-year-old said.

But his age came in handy when it came to his job as chair of the licensing committee.

"You often get councillors on these committees who don't go to nightclubs and don't visit these venues.

"If a venue got approved I would go and visit and scope it out after," he said.

But prominence as a cabinet member meant Mr Bennett found social media difficult to navigate.

"During campaigning I deleted Twitter from my phone, for my well-being.

"People speak about you in ways that they'd never speak to your face.

"It had an impact on my girlfriend, and I was conscious that I signed up for it but she didn't for example," he added.

Liberal Democrat councillor for Hotwells and Harbourside, Alex Hartley, stepped down from his elected role in 2022, over mental health concerns.

"Glamorous is not the word I would use about local politics," the 29-year-old said.

"It was a lot of work, people would be emailing and calling at all hours.

"I was in a single member ward for 4,000 people and I had nobody to help me.

"When I started thinking about being involved in politics, I was a big fan of the West Wing and I thought it might be like that, unsurprisingly it wasn't.

"There were many times when I'd read complaints from residents in not very nice terms, and when I was low it would send me lower," he added.

Reflecting on the barriers stopping younger people into politics, he said finance is the main one.

"One of the biggest barriers is that it isn't a full-time job, and you have to balance other paid employment.

"Lots of councillors can afford to just be a councillor if they are retired or wealthy.

Just up the M5 in Cheltenham, newly-elected Green party councillor for St Pauls, Ashleigh Davies, 24, played on her youth when she was out canvassing.

"I was door-knocking in jeans and a band t-shirt because people need to relate to their councillors, and I wanted people to think they could sit and have a pint with me," she said.

"Nobody commented on my age or the realisation I was younger than their kids."

Her age also means she has little of the political memories that her fellow councillors share.

"I think I was 7 when Tony Blair left office, one of my first political memories was hearing about the 2008 recession.

"I know I will be walking into a council meeting with people who have been on the council almost as long as I have been alive, so I'm excited but also nervous.

"I'm still doing the things I love, I'm still going to see Taylor Swift this summer, but this morning I had an invite to go see some beehives in my area and that's also really cool," she said.

Former mayor of Chippenham, Declan Baseley, 28, ended up using his entire holiday allowance from work last year to attend official engagements.

"My employer was helpful letting me work from home two days a week, and giving me extended lunch breaks to attend these things," he said.

"But I was working 40 hours a week at work, then 20 hours as a councillor and my mayoral job on top of that.

"We know for young people it is hard to get on the property ladder and start a family, and that can take priority.

"I know a young friend who was going to stand as a councillor, but he had young kids and he realised they'd only be young once," he added.

But his youth brought some advantages - especially when it came to social media.

"People said it was refreshing to see a younger person as the mayor, I was active on social media and I was able to reach new people who hadn't engaged with me before."

Despite the sacrifices over the year, Mr Baseley said he found the experience a "privilege."

"I wanted to give back to the community who raised me and I was so grateful that the people of Chippenham were so welcoming to me," he said.

Across the party divides, there was a unifying message from all of the young councillors: get involved and get voting.

"If you don't vote in the local elections, and your council tax goes up, then you lost your chance to maybe change that," said Mr Michellat.

"Social justice, climate change, there's so many issues with housing - we can't afford not to engage with politics," said Mr Bennett.

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