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

But older people including myself haven't 'been there' in the same way that he has as he's experienced it so recently.

The childhood experience since the advent of smart phones and social media is unrecognisable to previous generations.

And i'm in my late 40s so not 'old'

Wonder who he's related to

He is a Councillor not the Director, he is not going to be operational.

This.
The services are run by professionals.

Overall though there's an issue whenever a newly elected Councillor immediately gets given a portfolio, as there's a lot to learn. This year a number of councils are suddenly being run by whole groups of councillors with zero understanding of how local government works. Time will tell how that goes.

It's not a "job" - it's a political role. I imagine he'll be well out of his depth.

I am definitely not a Reform supporter either but I don't think age is necessarily a problem. As a pp said, people praised Mhairi Black. Pitt the Younger was PM by 24! There have been very successful teenagers throughout history.

How on earth is this possible if it was a job that was advertised. There is no way a 19 year old would be the most qualified applicant.

If it's a political position, then presumably he has no actual practical role.

Edited to add: apologies to PP who have made the same point, did not RTFT. However, glad to see I was right!

23 Reform councillors have resigned as of today.

That’s because councillors so far have generally been broadly community-minded individuals who want to improve their local area. This lot are fag packet politicians, people who’ve spent more time in the pub getting riled up about Daily Mail articles than doing even the most basic research into the role of a councillor. Look at the idiots in Durham who ran for election and then discovered they couldn’t be councillors whilst being employed by the council, resigned, and have triggered expensive by-elections, already wasting tax payer money.

I don’t believe the newly elected Reform councillors will listen to a stern word from their Heads of Service. They think they’re kings of their own little kingdom, and they’re going to cause a lot of damage.

This.

Give the guy a chance. You can't say someone isn't capable just because of their age FGS.

She was a moron

@MmeChoufleur

Once he is presented with a brief setting out the Council's statutory duties and a complex budget he will realise how little flexibility he has.
I imagine the officials will run rings around him.
As for hiring and firing Directors, he is not Elon Musk and this is not the good old US of A. We have employment laws and staff belong to unions.
I think he will very quickly realise he is way out of his depth. Whether he admits it and withdraws his services is another matter.

Brilliant.

Democracy means that anyone can stand as a councillor and they win an election if they receive enough votes. Any of you can do it and if you’ve SEN experience you’ve probably something incredibly valuable to offer, but don’t complain if the democratic processes throw up people you don’t like when you’re not prepared to do it yourself.

I guess he's got very recent experience with children in that he was one a few months ago?
Maybe they should get a shoplifter to be in charge of retail, or a rapist in charge of women's services?

No he won’t get to choose a Director. There is a proper recruitment process for all staff.

He’ll probably quickly find he is way out of his depth. This is a really complex area that is heavily regulated and covered by statute. If he thinks being young is enough of a qualification for this role, he has no idea what he has entered into. Unless he is a complete moron he will rely on his officers and take their advice. There are procedures in place to ensure all major decisions are scrutinized and voted on by Council.

It’s crazy. He’s only really known school and university - private school at that. Alongside his property business …

He’s the portfolio holder, the department will be instructed to go along with his ‘will’ and priorities, and the officers tasked with how to make that happen.
we are in for some interesting times.

Mhairi Black was fantastic.

Do you have a link where this is reported?

No. Hiring and firing of a Director (within the law) lies in the hands of the CEO alongside Members and other senior officers. Settinga nd managing budgets is a complex process, but he wouldn't have that much power as an individual, and the Council can set strategies within the law and statutory responsibilities.

In a reasonable place, the Director and Chair work in a positive relationship to achieve what they need to. And technically elected Members are in power over officers. Technically. Provided Members don't mess with anything too critical. Reality is never quite what is technically true. Officers can, and will, run rings around elected members if they must.

Bless the little love not realising his older peers have also at one stage "been there"

It’s maybe not a great appointment, but also maybe not significant better or worse than a 50-something councillor who’s never worked in children’s services or education.

Or, if it’s not too outing to say, neither is it necessarily worse than the fundamentalist Christian Labour councillors who formed the cabinet in a local authority I worked in who believed the rapture was imminent (and so why was the big bad LA bothering to take children away from their abusive parents) and tried to block programmes to support women who’d had children removed because they required people to use long-lasting contraception.

I am no fan of Reform, but I think actually his age isn't an issue for me - he may well ask some excellent questions and encourage enagagement with users. Time will tell.

My god. I sincerely hope it does make Reform voters question themselves before a terrible mistake is made at the next GE. Children's Services is particularly worrying, especially couple with the age and lack of experience of the Cllr, but my understanding of most of the Reform councillors is that they're generally woefully inexperienced and under-qualified for the roles they're suddenly in. I think they'll have a huge shock as individuals and a party as a whole about what it actually takes to run local govt, the state local govt budgets are in after years of Tory austerity and the complex, difficult decisions that will be expected of them. They will crash and burn, I just hope their supporters really take notice and reconsider.