Youngest ever town councillor elected for Horncastle - chairman Coun Wilkinson's son!

​Coun Wilkinson was elected as town council chairman back in May, and one of the new council’s first order of business was to fill the two vacancies on the council by co-option.

Two applications were submitted, including 18-year-old Owen Wilkinson, and both he and fellow applicant Jo Stone were voted onto the council at the full council meeting on Tuesday (July 11).

Born in April 2005, the newly-elected Coun Wilkinson Jnr is the youngest councillor in the council’s 50 year history.

Attending the meeting on Tuesday, Owen, at just 18 years and three months old was invited to speak before the voting process began, and he candidly addressed the “elephant in the room – I am the chairman’s son”!

"As a young member of the council, I feel that I could bring a different demographic to the council as I am from a different generation, and I am very willing to work with all of you.”

Owen and Jo Stone were both voted onto the council, and welcomed by their fellow members.

Speaking of his appointment, Owen said he was interested in giving back to the town he has lived in for almost all his life, and said he was “excited” to get started as a councillor:

"I’ve lived her for 17 years and I feel really connected to the town,” he said, “I want to repay the service the town has given me.”

Coun Matt Wilkinson said he was “really proud” of his son:

"I had suggested that he’d come on the council but I didn’t think he actually would, so I was really pleased when he did,” he said.

This is not the first time a parent and child have worked together on Horncastle Town Council, as current councillors Fiona Martin MBE and James Martin are mother and son, but this is thought to be the first time a father and son have served on the council together.

Former QEGS (Queen Elizabeth Grammar School) student Owen has just finished his A Levels in geology, physics, and history and is taking a year out exploring his options.

Coun Wilkinson Senior said that luckily, they we get on well so they don’t have to worry about bringing family arguments to meetings!

“It’s really good to have a young influence on the council as the set up of local politics is naturally with people with more free time, so it’s nice to get more of a balance and to have a range of ages.”