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