Councillor Luke Maunsell: "If I'm helping others, then it's time well spent"

The youngest ever mayor of Keighley Town Council and contender for "young councillor of the year" in 2026 reflects on his unique experience of local government ...

Before I go any further, I just want to acknowledge and thank those who nominated me for the ‘young councillor of the year’ award. This came as quite a surprise to me, to say the least and, regardless of the outcome, I am exceptionally proud of having been nominated.

It’s no secret that I wasn’t a typical teenager. I was never interested in parties or anything of that sort. My immediate family was not political but, in my case, I remember becoming very aware of politics at the time of the 2010 general election. There was one particular party-political advert starring the actor Sean Pertwee which stuck with me.

Irrespective of the party, it was the notion that who was in government mattered. The importance of voting should never be underestimated as there are consequences of both apathy and partisanship.

However, with regards to the latter, at least you have a chance to see your views put into practice, especially if you regard the alternative as fundamentally flawed.

With this increased awareness, I joined a political party and was soon drawn to the idea of standing for public office. Not only did I do this to put my views into practice but also, most importantly, to try and make a difference.

Encouraged by my parents, I became increasingly active and supported my party in multiple local and national elections. Eventually, after standing unsuccessfully for the town council and Bradford Council, I was co-opted to Keighley Town Council for the ward of Oakworth in 2015.

The experience of becoming a councillor, the youngest one ever in the town, can only be described as both exhilarating and daunting. I had never had such responsibility before and was a little unsure about how to go about things. I very much felt like a deer in the headlights and, while I had great aspirations, I initially struggled to put them into practice.

Consequently, I received my first significant ‘guidance’ from a resident and former town mayor. He accused me of not doing enough and this really stung. However, rather than retreating with my bruised ego, I decided to use this as an opportunity to change. Since this (fair) criticism, I made substantial improvements to my performance as a councillor.

I began to regularly leaflet the village to provide updates, responded to residents’ concerns and linked up with a range of groups and organisations. I tried to spot potential concerns, litter picking regularly, launching a village-wide survey and trying to take real action on issues in the community.

This included helping to secure £1000s for local voluntary groups, providing free dog bags, helping to redevelop the park and securing funds for Christmas lights in the village. There has been very little that I haven’t been actively involved with.

Underpinning all of this has been my love to help. My mum has always been a huge inspiration to me and taught me to put others before myself. Actually, I couldn’t even hazard a guess about how many hours of volunteering I have done (and that’s even before considering the hours of council and committee meetings and so on) but for me this would never matter. If I’m helping others, then it’s time well spent.

After making my mark on the town council for several years, I was selected as the deputy mayor and then mayor of the town. This was a huge step for me. As with becoming the youngest councillor, I was subsequently the youngest ever mayor elected in Keighley.

If I am being candid, I had some reservations about becoming mayor. Even though the role is full of privilege and honour, it is also extremely demanding. The hours (if the role is done right) are long and attending so many social events was never a natural thing for me. The main reason I became mayor was out of a desire to raise money for two great causes – a mental health charity, It’s Worth Talking About, and Dementia Friendly Keighley, of which I was a trustee.

During my term, I was lucky to be involved with several major events, including the town hosting Yorkshire Day and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which were sadly followed by her passing and state funeral. Then came arrangements for the coronation of King Charles III.

In addition, I attended around 150 separate events over my year as mayor. This was a huge undertaking but it was something I was determined to do. The town I serve often had a negative view of itself, so I was keen to attend and celebrate the enormous variety of groups and events it had to offer. I was frequently amazed by the commitment of volunteers throughout the town and delighted to commit myself to backing them in any way I could.

Beyond the fun of events, I also had a lot to do for my charities. Over the 12 months, I took part in fundraising opportunities to raise as much as I could for causes which were close to my heart. The most significant achievement was to walk the entirety of the Leeds-Liverpool canal – a total of 127 miles. I even had my chest waxed! Fortunately, all this effort paid off and I managed to raise over £12,000, which was then split equally between both charities.

Despite these positives, there were some other challenges I had to face. In my year of office, we did have some serious internal HR matters to deal with, which I became involved in, as well as other external disputes that the council acted upon.

For example, concerns over the future of the former college site in the town became a key area of contention. This led to the calling of a parish poll (a first for the town), which became politically charged and personally challenging for me and others.

Overall, however, being the mayor of Keighley was something I will never forget – and I did, truly, love the role. I was fortunate to have such an encouraging, supportive family (especially my mum and my aunt) and a lot of goodwill from across the political spectrum and the town.

Even now, three years on, people still mention my time as mayor and this is deeply touching. I was glad that I was able to show what a young person can do and that they can be trusted to hold significant public roles.

After stepping down as mayor, I have enjoyed continuing to serve my constituents. In the council, I remain very active in my ward, regularly acting on concerns, planning projects and backing our volunteers and local groups.

I am currently also the chair of our HR committee. Outside the council, I joined our local Lions Club and became heavily involved with them. I am now their media and social media officer and spend countless hours both backing and leading on great, charitable causes in the town and beyond.

In summary, over the last 10 years, I have enjoyed getting involved, helping people and appreciating every opportunity I can get to do so. I love being a councillor. For me, this is a dream role and something I have no intention of giving up, especially when there are people out there in need of support and encouragement.

Being a young councillor has been challenging but also rewarding. I am glad to have been given the chance to make a difference and thank everyone who has helped me do so. Also, I truly hope that I have been able to show that young people can have a pivotal and positive role in our society. It’s often so easy to disparage young people, to belittle them or ignore them.

However, throughout our country – in all our towns and cities, villages and hamlets – there are young people who have great potential. If trusted and supported, they can flourish not only personally but also politically. They can become the future community heroes we desperately need. Let’s listen to them. Let’s nurture them. Let’s help make them the best possible leaders we can have.

Our future depends on it.