The Youth Mayor Inauguration took place in May and the first Youth Mayor of Longridge Town was announced.
16-year-old Josh Kirby has finished his final year at St Cecilia’s Roman Catholic High School in Longridge and has joined the new Longridge Youth Town Council as Youth Mayor.
The event took place at the Longridge Town Councils Office in the Old Station Building.
Read more: Funding will help the Intact Centre support Preston’s mental health
Young people from Longridge, or who attended school in the town voted for Josh, who won the town over with his manifesto in which he outlined his three pledges for his term of office.
His first pledge is to raise awareness about the unknown harms of vaping which has become very prevalent amongst young people over the last few years. As part of this pledge, he would like to see licenced premises in and around the Longridge area being held accountable if they sell vaping products to underage people.
Josh’s second pledge is to create better access to sports facilities for the purpose of improving peoples physical and mental health.
His third pledge is that in would like to create a safe space for young people where they can socialise and use the internet to complete homework and learn coding.
Josh said: “Longridge Youth Council is run in Partnership with Longridge Town Council and Longridge Community Action which is a local charity which prides itself on actioning the wishes of the community.”
Councillor Kieren Spencer said, “Sitting on the Ribble Valley Youth Council when I was in my teens gave me experiences and skills that I have carried through my life.
“In adulthood, I’ve become a Town Councillor and I can say with certainty that I would never have put myself forward for the position had it not been for the youth council.
“The old youth council hasn’t been around for years now and I’ve been very keen, along with fellow councillors, to bring a Youth Council to Longridge.
“It’s a completely new concept for the town and I’m looking forward to working with the young people to implement some of their ideas.
“I know Josh is very excited and eager to get started with his mayoral duties and I’m looking forward to continuing to champion his along with the rest of the youth council to deliver their Mini Manifesto pledges.”
Read more: Preston Markets cinema applying to host ‘all-nighters’
Rachel Ray who is a Community Delivery Manager at LCA said: “Its a privilege to be involved in the processes of supporting LTC to have its first ever youth mayor. Josh is going to be great.
“He not only has a real passion for politics and his community, but his 3 key issues are also supported by many other young voices. We are looking forward to working alongside him to make his vision a reality.”
Josh is a member of Longridge Youth Town Council and would like more young people to get involved in the forum. If you would like further information about how to get involved then please contact Rachel Ray at Longridge Community Action by email rachel@lca-cio.org or via their Facebook page.
Daisy Williams aged 15 who attends Longridge High School was elected as the Deputy Mayor for the Youth Council.
Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines