Lib Dem Kieron Franks Is Youngest Person Ever Elected to Chelmsford City Council

A new record has been set at Chelmsford City Council following the election of their youngest-ever councillor. Kieron Antony Franks, 22, was elected to serve as a Liberal Democrat councillor for the Great Baddow East ward following the local elections held on Thursday (May 4).

Kieron received the highest number of votes in his ward (871), being elected to serve alongside fellow Lib Dem councillors Pete Davey (869) and Andrew Sosin (829). Their election means the Great Baddow East remains represented by the Lib Dems.

Speaking after the result was declared, Kieron said: "It's great that I've gotten through. It's been a lot of hard work and it's nice that it's paid off.

"Young people are very much under-represented in local government. I'm relishing the opportunity to bring a youth voice to the council and more generally working to bring the voice of young people to everything that the council does. That's not just electing me but getting young people involved in every step of the way."

He added: "Since the 2016 referendum it's been a rough time in politics and it's putting people off, but you can really see that young people want to engage with political issues and environmental issues.

"It's very much about making sure the council works with young people. If they can do that all the time rather than just at elections, then they're far more likely to come out and vote."