Newly-elected Bromsgrove District councillors prove 'age is just a number' - The Bromsgrove Standard

Newly-elected Bromsgrove District councillors prove 'age is just a number'

Bromsgrove Editorial 30th May, 2019 Updated: 30th May, 2019   0

TWO newly-elected Bromsgrove District councillors are proving why ‘age is just a number’.

After sweeping up the votes in this year’s local election, first-time Labour councillors, Coun Sue Douglas, aged 80, and Coun Harrison Rone-Clarke, aged 19, are eager to hit the ground running.

Coun Douglas will represent Sidemoor and Coun Rone-Clarke will represent Rock Hill.

The pair, who have always been interested in politics, attended their first Bromsgrove District Council meeting last week.




Aston University student, Coun Rone-Clarke, who has been a Labour activist for years, said: “It was strange to finally be sat among my colleagues rather than listening to the debate from the public gallery.

“I was reminded how I got there, and started to think about all the people who voted for me. I’m very thankful.”


Speaking on her political background, Coun Douglas said: “I don’t come from a political family or anything, but I did serve on parliamentary committees when I was younger.

“But I lived in Northumberland at the time. I also got married and had eleven children which made it very difficult for me to continue travelling to London. I decided to put everything on hold.”

In the lead up to the election both councillors worked tirelessly together, along with other Labour candidates, to knock on local doors and spread Labour’s message.

Coun Douglas wasn’t able to knock on all doors because she did the entire campaign from her mobility scooter.

Instead she would ‘run the board’, which involved directing candidates to different homes and afterwards recording the feedback each person received.

She said: “What I plan to do over the next four years is to try and make up for my lack of door-to-door knocking during the campaign.

“I will do this by going to five new households every week and hopefully speaking to people who are less likely to vote Labour.

“I will listen to their views, and together, we can make Bromsgrove a better place.”

When asked about what he’d like to accomplish during his term, Coun Rone-Clarke said: “I want to give young and old people a voice.

“I want to represent my constituents and fight their corners. There’s a lot of things we can achieve, even at local-level politics.”

Speaking on their success, Leader of the Labour party, Coun Michael Thompson said: “They’re both exceptional examples of how different generations can still do new things.

“Going forward I have no doubt they will be fantastic councillors.”

You can listen to our full interview with Coun Rone-Clarke and Coun Douglas on this week’s Bromsgrove Standard Podcast by heading to

https://bromsgrovestandard.co.uk/podcasts/

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