January 29, 2016 11.14 am This story is over 97 months old

Ambitious teenage councillor aims to ‘create a voice for young people’ in Lincolnshire

Youngest councillor: An 18-year-old Lincolnshire councillor has vowed to “get rid of the myth that young people are not involved in politics.”

An 18-year-old Lincolnshire teenager who became the one of the youngest councillors in the UK last year has vowed to “get rid of the myth that young people are not involved in politics.”

Adam Kirsopp from the village of Scopwick, south of Lincoln, joined his local parish council in August 2015 as a member of the Liberal Democrats.

His interest in politics was first sparked when he joined the debating club at Branston Community Academy three years ago.

Adam quickly felt that young people like him were not adequately represented by politicians, and that their views were often ignored.

Following the 2015 general election, Adam decided that he wanted to take his interest in politics to the next level.

He said: “2015 was an exciting year for me as I was able to campaign for my political party in the run up to the election.

“It was later after the election when I was informed about the vacancy on my local parish council that I saw a fantastic opportunity. By joining the parish council it gave me a chance to represent the young people in my village.

“As a parish councillor I’ve been able to represent the young people of my village and try and create events and clubs for them to get more involved in the local community.”

Adam hopes to study Politics at university and have a successful political career, possibly as an MP if his party’s fortunes improve in the future.

However, his main ambition is to ensure that young people’s views are heard loud and clear in local and national government.

He added: “I hope to get rid of the myth that young people are not involved in politics. Many young I know take a keen interest in parliament.

“Young people are often underrepresented in local government and I hope that my message and success will encourage more young people to become pro-active in their local governments and create a voice for young people across the country.”