FRODSHAM’s deputy Mayor, Cllr Liam Jones, is supporting the National Association of Local Councils in a call for more young people to get involved in running their town and parish councils.
New figures reveal that out of 100,000 councillors on town and parish councils across the country, only 700 – 0.7 per cent – are aged 25 or younger.
Cllr Jones, who is due to become Mayor next year, was the youngest-ever councillor in Frodsham when he first joined the Town Council nearly four years ago.
He had sought to join the council even earlier but it was discovered he was too young!
He said: “As a young 23 year old councillor myself, since 2015, it was seeing the positive work our borough councillors, Lynn Riley and Andrew Dawson, did and still do for our magnificent town that led me to stand for Frodsham Town Council. I am not surprised to learn of NALC’s finding that less than one per cent of serving Councillors are 25 years old or below.
“I welcome NALC’s challenge to local authorities to increase the figure. It would be great to see more younger faces stand for the local elections in May, as I do believe younger people can make a real change and achieve some amazing things – something I witness a lot as the Frodsham Town Council representative for Frodsham Youth Association.”
Cllr Jones has lived in Frodsham since 1998 and attended Weaver Vale Primary School and then Helsby High School, where he studied engineering, ICT and business studies.
He then took up an apprenticeship at Heat-Trace Ltd at Helsby and is now a CAD architect assistant for architects Randle White Ltd, Warrington.