The 46 successful candidates – who attend schools across the city – were officially announced at a special event in the Council Chamber on Monday (29 January, 2024).
The Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Dr Michael Hardacre was joined by the Leader of the Council Councillor Stephen Simkins, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People Councillor Christopher Burden, Alison Hinds, Director of Children’s Services, Andrew Wolverson, Deputy Director of Commissioning and Transformation of Children’s Services, and others to welcome the new youth councillors.
The event, chaired by the Youth Council Chair Harleen Nahal, also provided an opportunity to launch the voting for this year’s Make Your Mark ballot. The national campaign, run by the British Youth Council, gives 11 to 18 year olds in the UK the chance to have a say on the biggest issues facing young people, and all 21 secondary schools in Wolverhampton are taking part in this year’s ballot.
At the same time, the event marked the start of this year’s UK Youth Parliament elections, announcing the 6 candidates who are standing to become the city’s next Youth MP – Japjot Ghotra, T'Liyah Spencer, William Gosnell, Sienna Ahir, Hephzibah Kalapala and Jobe Thompson.
Councillor Burden said: "The council takes the views of young people seriously and we are keen to co-produce the development of our services with them. I and my fellow councillors welcome the level of challenge and scrutiny the Youth Council provides.
“It was a pleasure to meet our new youth councillors and speak to them about what the role of being a councillor involves and we are really looking forward to working with them over the next 12 months."
He added: “The Youth Council has been in operation in the city for over 20 years and the skills developed by the group are being passed on and built on, year after year.”
To find out more about the Youth Council, please visit Yo! Wolves or email #yes@wolverhampton.gov.uk.
