Gen Z are as good as Baby Boomers when it comes to parish and town governance - Connor Mulhall
At the age of 26 I took on a role unusual for someone of my age. In fact, I was the youngest ever to have it. In May last year I was elected Mayor of Wetherby, my wonderful hometown. Whatever one’s age, leading a Town Council is, of course, an incredibly proud moment.
When my election was confirmed, I received congratulations from all corners of my life; fellow councillors, family, friends, colleagues, the media, you name it. But the one theme that dominated these good wishes was my age. It seemed my mere 26 years of life (spent mostly in Wetherby) were more important than the achievement of becoming mayor.
But this perception doesn’t surprise me. My journey in local government has often been shaped by one fact; I have frequently been the youngest person in the room, though I’m happy to say that my fellow Gen Z parish and town councillors are out there.
Last week, I arrived at York train station ready to trek down to London to attend the National Association of Local Councils Star Awards. Nominated late last year, I was a finalist in the Young Councillor of the Year category, with the ceremony to be held in the House of Lords that very day.
At the ceremony, I discovered that I was not only a finalist, but in fact would be bringing the award back to Wetherby with me.
This is, of course, a huge honour. But what the award also achieved was bringing together my fellow nominees into one room – other leading young councillors from across England.
Hearing about all the great work they have undertaken in their communities underlined to me that Gen Z are as good as Baby Boomers when it comes to parish and town governance.
Leading Wetherby Town Council has at times been challenging. Thankfully I have never felt alone due to the support of my fellow councillors, staff and residents. We have overcome these challenges together, with my age never being a hindrance.
It’s good to look back and appreciate some of the great successes for Wetherby since I took up leadership in May. National issues are also local issues, with solutions for many of these, such as housing, beginning at parish and town council level.
I experienced this when I led the council’s response to a major planning application for more than 1,000 new homes. Understandably developments of this scale generate concern in any community. Therefore, my focus was not simply on whether growth should happen but on how it could happen responsibly. The hyper-local nature of a town council means we are able to work closely with community groups, local leaders and the house builders to ensure projects align with our neighbourhood plan, strengthen transport connections, and embed meaningful environmental measures.
Just as good councillors are not defined solely by their age, councils are not solely defined by large projects. To me, how clearly they communicate and how accessible they are to the people they serve are equally important. Early on, it became obvious to me that residents often did not know who was responsible for what or how to engage with the council. That is why I worked with colleagues to establish and chair a dedicated committee to improve communication.
Being a Gen Z mayor brings a different perspective on how to tackle the issues impacting Wetherby. If I were elected at 26, 46 or 96 – becoming mayor of my hometown would always be one of the greatest honours of my life. My age has nothing to do with it.
Connor Mulhall is the Mayor of Wetherby Town Council.