Jack steps into Parliament

Jack Lofthouse and Hassan Akhtar with the Mayor, Councillor Keith Swift, and Mayoress Sue Etchells.

The results are in from the eight week campaign to elect the new Member of UK Youth Parliament for Rochdale.

Jack Lofthouse, aged 14 from Cardinal Langley RC High School was the winning candidate.

Last month more than 5000 votes were made available to young people for UK Youth Parliament election of which 4737 votes were actually cast, which gave an overall 82% return.

The event was attended by Councillor Keith Swift and Sue Etchells, Mayor and Mayoress of Rochdale who commented on how much they enjoyed the evening. Terry Piggott, Executive Director from Rochdale Council, paid tribute to all the young people on their achievement and presented the candidates with an award and Jack Lofthouse the Official MYP Shield of Office.

Andy Hamflett, Chief Executive of UK MYP, travelled from London for the occasion. He praised the high level of achievement and dedication of both Rochdale Borough Youth Council and in particular Usman Nawaz, the outgoing Youth MP. Also in attendance were friends and family of the candidates and 65 youth council members.

Jill Welsby, Youth Work Manager for Youth Empowerment, said: “This event was testament to the enthusiasm and willingness of young people of the borough to get involved, take responsibility and make a positive contribution."

Usman Nawaz, 19, in his farewell speech reflected on his two years as a voice and representative of young people for the borough.

“Being the MYP for the Borough of Rochdale has been an amazing experience. It has given me incredible opportunities, where I have been able to speak directly to government ministers and decision makers within the council. I have also delivered a speech in the House of Lords Chamber raising the profile of young people making a positive contribution. This was a unique opportunity which I will remember for a very long time.”

Jack Lofthouse campaigned to tackle street crime, make local parks safer and raise awareness of issues affecting the environment. He said: “I can’t believe I have been elected as MYP. I would like to thank everyone who has voted for me, now I can’t wait to start trying to make a difference on the issues I campaigned on and improve the lives of young people in the borough.”

Hassan Akhtar, aged 13 from Oulder Hill Community School has been elected as Deputy MYP. His campaign included issues and concerns around young people smoking, more support for young people to take an active role in their community and wants to raise awareness to the needs of young people with disabilities.

Also, Alex Deniston aged 15, from Middleton Technology High School will retain the position he has held as Deputy MYP for another year and has pledged his support to Jack and Hassan to make their time in office a success.