THE FIRST ever Young People’s Mayor will be elected in May, acting as a voice for young people in the town.
The young people’s mayor will attend social functions and work closely with the Mayor of Frome to represent the views of young people.
Frome Town Council plan to host an election evening in May at the Cheese and Grain. Potential candidates for the position will be able to give a speech, which will be followed by a ballot vote.
The town council agreed to press ahead with plans to elect a young people’s mayor at a Frome Town Council meeting on Wednesday 20th of February.
The project will now be taken forward by the town clerk, Paul Wynne, who says that plans are still in the early stages.
“We hope to hold an election evening in May to coincide with a music event,” he said. “We will then announce who is to take up the post at the annual town council meeting, which takes place on Wednesday 22nd of May, when the new leader of the council will be chosen too.
“We are working on a job description with Young People Frome (YPF), outlining the role of the post. The dialogue with the council would be primarily informal, with officers working closely with the young mayor to support the work of the council in developing projects and ways of working that meet the needs of young people.”
Paul Wynne explained that the position of the young people’s mayor should be open to all young people in Frome.
He said, “There are young people that commute from Frome to other towns; we just want to make sure that everyone that applies has an equal opportunity.
“We have not set an age limit yet, but we will finalise details shortly.”