BASILDON Council is set to appoint a youth mayor for the borough to take effect from its annual general meeting on 27 May 2021.

Councillors unanimously agreed to make the new appointment when the policy and resources committee met recently and have recommended its introduction to next week's full council meeting.

The appointed youth mayor will represent the council at an agreed schedule of community engagements, attending alongside the mayor or deputy Mayor. These events would include the mayor's civic service, Remembrance Sunday, Christmas lights switch-on, and other appropriate events in or outside of the borough.

The youth mayor will be appointed from the members of the Basildon Borough Youth Council (BBYC), a group open to any young person between the age of 11 and 19 who either live, work or attend a school or college in the borough. The nominated chair at their AGM in May will be appointed as Basildon Borough's youth mayor for a one-year term.

Chairman of the committee and leader of Basildon Council, Cllr Gavin Callaghan, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for a young resident between the ages of 11 and 19. The voices of our young people need to be heard.

"The youth mayor will act as a role model for young people and be a champion of pride in the borough. Working alongside the mayor of Basildon, it will give the chosen individual a great platform to be able to influence and make change in our borough.

"We're committed to improving our borough's offering for young people. That's why we're investing £8million to bring Essex's first Youth Zone to Basildon, providing state-of-the-art facilities for 8–19-year-olds, seven days a week. Having a Youth Mayor on board with us will provide us with extra insight into how we can best support our borough's younger residents."

Mayor of Basildon, Cllr David Burton-Sampson, added: "BBYC are already an established group of young people who are the voice of their peers, and anof their members have proved they would be an ideal fit for the role from their interest in and commitment to the borough.

"I really look forward to working with the new youth mayor, I hope they can help us to accomplish many great things across the borough."