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

[MmeChoufleur]

Reform have appointed a 19 year old, Councillor Charles Pugsley, to run Children’s Services for Leicestershire County Council, . How would you feel about this if you lived in the borough and had SEND children?

Does this make a mockery of democracy, handing over such an important role to a person with no experience in the workplace, certainly not at any high level?

Will this make Reform voters sit up and think about the consequences of voting for this party?

And maybe he will be too… or don’t think he won’t because he’s a man?

You sound very childish, do you always speak like this

There's challenges of maybe not getting your homework done on time and challenges of saying, whether a toddler should be put into care or kept with his heroin addicted parents. What challenges exactly is he talking about? I don't understand how on earth he was appointed to this role.

He wouldn't have any involvement or influence over individual children and families and their specific plans.

The risk would be more general - as the councillor would have influence over policy directions, budgets and investment in different parts of the service. So still able to cause damage to Children's Services and its functioning through ignorance or incompetence...

And council meetings are public. I might tune in online to say just how he reports on, holds to account and questions senior LA officers.

I often watch my local council sessions and read agenda’s, reports and minutes.

He's no longer in post as of today. Who could have predicted that?

Resigned or sacked?

Why whats happened? Has he been grounded or something?

It's the DOGE way (at least it's got that 'approach' written all over it, remember Musk's massive financial support): appoint 19-20 something males with zero experience but ideological alignment. If that's not a sign of what's to come if we don't stop them, I don't know what is.
Seriously... Reform is NOT the solution to any of our problems, no matter how real and pressing those issues are. We all deserve better.

It's not really clear. He says he's no longer in post but hasn't stepped down.

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/reform-uk-shambles-slammed-leicestershire-10435107?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=communities

https://www.itv.com/news/central/2025-08-18/reform-uk-deputy-council-leader-leaves-role-after-three-months

😂😂 😅

He probably got fed up of being expected to know about ... well, anything really

I think this is a different (young) fella? The lad who has gone is a 22 year old with adult social care under his portfolio according to the links above.

Yes, this is correct. The 19yo is still in post.... for the time being.