The 'I'm a Councillor Youth Champion' for Cumbria has been named for 2007, and Elizabeth Barraclough, Lib Dem councillor for Keswick and Derwent has scooped the honour.
She won a 63% share of the final vote in the online democracy event 'I'm a Councillor, Get me out of Here!', easing ahead of second-placed Keith Little (Labour, Maryport East), who was the last councillor to be evicted.
The new 'I'm a Councillor Youth Champion', who is also a town and district councillor, said:
"I'd like to say thanks to all the children who voted for me and thanks to everyone, including my fellow councillors, for taking part. It's been a good mixture of fun, competition and politics. I've learnt a lot about the issues that matter most to our youth and next time I'm in a council meeting, I'll make sure I take into account what young people want and need before making any decisions."
Chatting online to school pupils from around the county came naturally to Cllr Barraclough, who spent a career in academic research in computing and worked on one of the first ever computers in Britain in 1955. She sent her first email in 1969 - via the ARPA network which was used by a close circle of academics in North America and Europe. Last year she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Newcastle University for her services to computing.
Online issues that she tackled this year during 'I'm a Councillor, Get me out of Here!' included house fires, teenage pregnancy and how to improve libraries. In her manifesto, she said she'd like to see a confidential helpline set up for children to discuss issues about school or home and also do more to improve sports facilities and playing fields.
Second-placed Keith Little also enjoyed the experience:
"Congratulations to Elizabeth, who I'm sure will be a worthy champion. I've thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it was good to get into some schools and hear about young people's issues first-hand as well as through the online discussion forum. It's been a worthwhile experience and I feel I now have a greater understanding of what concerns young people. Top of the tree seems to be the environment, which is hardly surprising as this is the generation who will be adopting the legacy that we leave them."
ENDS
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