19 year old in charge of Children’s Services for Leicestershire Council

Ridiculous of course, but it's not as if his is a professional appointment where he could do real harm

He's a "cabinet member" and likely to be more or less confined to talking shops where they all flatter themselves that they operate "just like the real government" and can often be safely ignored

I wouldn’t say that couldn’t be bothered to vote is necessarily accurate. Perhaps they thought there was nobody worth voting for. Out of the last few general elections, I mostly didn’t vote for this reason - all options bad.

Exactly. One councillor local to me is a convicted puppy farmer but the public keep voting him back in so 😱

Two major issues:

People don't get off their backsides and vote. How many moaning on this thread took the time to read up on the candidates and go and vote?

Being a Councillor is a nightmare. I worked out I spent as many hours on council work as I did on my full-time job - partly because of the 3 of us in our ward, one couldn't speak English (but secured a nice block vote) and the other was lazy and just vanished. The main committee I ran often finished at 3am having started at 7pm. Pre-meetings, scrutiny committees, council meetings, ward surgeries, emails and calls in the hundreds a week. And all for £300 a month in expenses...

How do you manage that work load plus a job alongside kids or normal life? I did it with a small baby and it nearly killed me.

Cabinet posts were full-time and didn't pay enough to cover the mortgage and zero job security.

If you want really good councillors then you need to pay really good wages to get them. But it's taxpayer's money that funds it all.

Current system ends up with very young and very old, people who don't need to work, and people who are incompetent but have the time (and are mainly interested in getting Cllr added to everything as it's the most exciting thing they have ever achieved).

The whole problem is the quality of councillors is very poor across the board regardless of political party. I have come across councillors from Labour and Conservative who I wouldn't want to assign the job of tying shoelaces let alone making important decisions about the future of the local citizens. If you look at how many councils are being financially mismanaged and about to go bust it is really scary.

Nearly 7000 of the 10,170 people who were registered to vote in his constituency couldn’t be bothered to vote. The turnout in local elections is usually very low, and then the people who didn’t vote seriously think they’ve got a right to complain about who is elected to their local council.

An already strained service in Leicestershire, then we put a child in charge of it! I'm beyond fuming. I am disgusted that Reform members are allowing this to unfold, I truly believe in a succession plan but this is absolutely insane. And A 24 year old in charge of Adult Services... let that sink in.

And people voted for him?!

Oh the middle class travelling, yes that grows you up much more than running your own home and having a 4 year old by the time you're 20.

Of course it does.

To add, Leicestershire had a population of around 712,300 at the last census.

1146 of those people voted for Charles Pugsley to become a County Councillor.

Hardly the choice of "the people of Leicestershire".

I looked him up, he got just over 1000 votes
Charles Andrew Frank Pugsley(Reform UK)1,146(35.1%).
Not a bad win in his constituency but I can't find any specific info on him, or if it's in a place where the people just voted Reform.
I don't have a problem with his age for being a councillor, but he is very inexperienced to have a portfolio.

About 11% of registered voters in Leicestershire chose reform.

Only 32.28% bothered to vote at all, but of those that did, 67.6% chose NOT to vote for Reform.

So not an overwhelming vote of confidence from people in Leicestershire at all, actually.

ETA that obviously people also didn't know when they were voting that this 19yo would be handed such a significant portfolio to oversee. Perhaps, if they had realised, even some of the 11% might have changed their minds.

Don't be ridiculous @MmeChoufleur He can't be running Children’s Services.

Directors of CYPS have graduate training and many years at senior levels in social work or education.

He could be the council member assigned to Childrens Services. All councils have them, regardless of party. In fact, I'm not sure which party our member is part of.

He will have such a lot to learn in his role in holding to account senior LA leaders.

You do have to remember that he has been voted in by the people of Leicestershire. They must have confidence that he has the experience and background to carry out such an important role in being the elected voice for children and families in the area. 🤔

Lol at the idea of being a Reform councillor being any sort of achievement!

If you look at the calibre of the average Reform candidate, it is immediately obvious that the party was picking from a very poor pool. It is also pretty obvious from the results that the Reform supporters would have voted for a pig with a Reform rosette if it had had its picture taken with Nigel.

Just the fact that he accepted the role suggests that he lacks any judgement or self awareness.

I hope he proves us all wrong and does a fantastic job, but I'll be watching like this 🫣

You can’t do a medical degree in three years. Most FY1s will be age 23 or more likely 24 minimum.

In my county I often have to contact the equivalent councillor due to Children's Services not doing what they are supposed to do.
Frankly going on the 19 year olds I've known he won't have a clue how to make sure he's answered all his emails let alone know what Children's Services are and aren't supposed to be doing.

The point is, surely, that the council is supposed to have oversight of the head of the service. What if they aren't competent? Who is going to question them, hold them to account etc?

Power over budgets is kind of central to the running of any department. Suppose this kid decides the easiest way to deal with overspends is to stop funding all disabled children in specialist provision - and suppose one of those children is yours?

I worked for the Council.for a while and a lot of Councillors are not that bright so the council officers will be well used to dealing with it.

Why would I be bitter or insecure? I didn't say I was superior I said I was more mature, you seriously don't see how someone who's moved out their parents house and has their own children has more life experience than someone still at home? I'm talking to a brick wall here I guess.
All I wanted to say was not all 19 year olds are the same and just because some posters were big ole overgrown babies at that age doesn't mean this young man is. In fact I'd say some posters sound jealous of this man's achievements

Wow. 😂 You post this about people and say you're not insecure, bitter, or projecting your issues onto others. OK then.

Again, you are not superior to people who are still living at home in their mid 20s, just because you moved out at 16 and had a baby at that age. I find it actually quite funny as well as bizarre that you think this.

Anyway, I'll leave you to it. (You're sounding a bit jealous of these people now as well by the way...)

Not insecure, not bitter, not projecting. Yes I do think I was a lot more mature at 18 than other 18 and even mid twenties year olds who still live at home and have mummy and daddy drive them everywhere and pay for everything.

And I'm tired of these types of people projecting their own immaturity at that age onto every other young person, as is being done on this thread

I wouldn't mind the voting age to be lowered to 16. That doesn't mean I want 16 year old councillors with portfolios.

Sounds like you are quite bitter, and projecting your insecurities onto others. Calling people 'overgrown babies' because they still live at home in their mid to late 20s is incredibly rude and ignorant. Just because you had a baby at 16 and moved out of your parents home at that age, that doesn't make you superior to those who are still living at home in their mid-late 20s.

What an extremely odd and narrow minded attitude. As I said earlier, you leaving home and having a baby at 16, does NOT make you any more worldy-wise and mature than people still living at home in their mid-late 20s. So hop off your high horse.

And I say this as someone who left home at 20 and got my own place, (and never moved back.) AND I have 2 DC who left at 18 for uni and never came back... They got their own place when they finished Uni after a year or two of travelling. How much travelling have YOU done?

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