A 19 Year Old Heading Children and Family Services?

Well, councillors are not practitioners of course. Their role is to set the political direction of the council, and apportion funds to different services. For any councillor to take on a major portfolio two months after being elected is a tall order. For a young person wholly inexperienced in management and with no knowledge of how local governments is run it’s absurd all round. I hope Farage is supplying plenty of training to all his people.

They’ll take anyone they can get imo.

As we have seen, and continue to see, Reform's vetting procedures do not seem particularly robust.

I agree with the doubters, here. Real life experiences are important in roles such as this, and teenagers simply haven't lived long enough.
We don't have teenage social workers, health visitors, or paramedics ( with the odd exception of some in training ) for a reason.

I meant Charlie Pugsley.

Allira

Even if he's someone who can assimilate information quickly, he's still at University so this can only be a part-time job.

If you mean Sam Carling, he finished his course last year.

As someone said upthread, the 'proof of the pudding', and that goes for all of the Reform politicians. Incredible drop out rate at the moment. Vacancies being scooped up in the subsequent by-elections by the established parties.
This young man hasn't given up yet.
We will know in time for the next GE, if Reform can live up to its promises.

Even if he's someone who can assimilate information quickly, he's still at University so this can only be a part-time job.

Rosie51

growstuff

Rosie51

Mhairi Black was only 20 when she was elected as an MP, and she was celebrated for her youth and vitality as I recall.
Age isn’t the issue here.

But she wasn't given any real responsibility.

I’d suggest her constituents would hope she’d be responsible for promoting their interests. Is any MP not in a position of responsibility, surely that’s what they’re paid for.

From what I have seen or read she wasn't a very good constituency MP.

I agree winterwhite. Surely anyone taking on such responsibilities should have experience of life, which a nineteen year old can’t possibly have. They need to know about finances, dealing with a range of people and making wise decisions etc.

winterwhite

It’s not a laughing matter. These are serious roles. The portfolio holders need to master major regulatory frameworks and understand complex budgets. It isn’t a game. A pity that Reform couldn’t recruit more experienced candidates.

Agreed. These are people's lives that a 19 year old is playing with. It seems that having not long been a child gives him the experience.
I just hope he is up to the job but have serious reservations.

It’s not a laughing matter. These are serious roles. The portfolio holders need to master major regulatory frameworks and understand complex budgets. It isn’t a game. A pity that Reform couldn’t recruit more experienced candidates.

I am more stunned that a 19yr old belongs to the Reform party🙄 , how long will these council services last before they fall into a spiralling pit of dept.

Allira

Well, I think they could most definitely. They could be the future in many areas of science.

Sam Carling has a first from Cambridge and I'm sure he has a bright future (even if he is Labour).

Allira Cambridge City Council is a district council, so is nowhere near so important as a county council. Being in charge of Cambridge's parks and opens paces doesn't compare with being in charge of education and children's social care for a whole county. The budgets don't compare either.

Well, I think they could most definitely. They could be the future in many areas of science.

I seem to recall Jeremy Corbyn appointed a teenage transwoman councillor as an advisor for matters pertaining to women. That didn't go down very well at the time.

Allira

Rosie51

Mhairi Black was only 20 when she was elected as an MP, and she was celebrated for her youth and vitality as I recall.
Age isn’t the issue here.

Well, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

Samuel Carling was a City Councillor in Cambridge at the age of 19 or 20. During his tenure, Carling held the office of Executive Councillor for Open Spaces and City Services,[22] and was a member of the Skills Committee of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority for two years. He then ran for Parliament and became an MP at the age of 22, holding both jobs until recently.
Was he also completing his degree at the same time?

But he's Labour, so is that ok?

According to The Guardian last year In a parliament full of fresh faces, none are more energised than the members of generation Z who are taking up their seats this week.

So that's all right, then.

No, it's not alright, but (according to Google), Carling did write an essay called "Could carbon quantum dots have applications in bioimaging?" This was the City of Cambridge, after all!

TerriBull

Bernadette Devlin, anyone remember her? she was very young when she became an MP.

Yes! She was 21 when she was elected.

I can't believe she's 78 😯

MayBee70

We’ve got one of a similar age on our local council. Got elected because he talked a lot about a local issue that’s causing a lot of problems but it will be interesting to see if he does anything about it.

Maybe they couldn’t find anyone else…

After she graduated my dd worked for a while for our local (LD) MP. TBH dd soon went off the idea of any sort of political career, but she was urged very strongly to stand for the local council. They apparently had great difficulty in finding anyone ‘normal’ and reasonably presentable to stand.

After she eventually made it clear that it wasn’t going to happen, they said, ‘Well, how about your mum or dad?’

TerriBull

Bernadette Devlin, anyone remember her? she was very young when she became an MP.

She didn't have an administrative role either.

Rosie51

Mhairi Black was only 20 when she was elected as an MP, and she was celebrated for her youth and vitality as I recall.
Age isn’t the issue here.

Well, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

Samuel Carling was a City Councillor in Cambridge at the age of 19 or 20. During his tenure, Carling held the office of Executive Councillor for Open Spaces and City Services,[22] and was a member of the Skills Committee of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority for two years. He then ran for Parliament and became an MP at the age of 22, holding both jobs until recently.
Was he also completing his degree at the same time?

But he's Labour, so is that ok?

According to The Guardian last year In a parliament full of fresh faces, none are more energised than the members of generation Z who are taking up their seats this week.

So that's all right, then.

TerriBull

It's not very relevant really, I agree he's long dead.

I meant the comment about young people being Labour supporters.

Incidentally, William Pitt was 24 when he became PM.

It's not very relevant really, I agree he's long dead.