Two new Youth MPs elected for Peterborough as thousands of children cast votes

Two new Youth MPs were voted in for Peterborough as thousands of children cast votes in the latest election.

Danielle Daboh (15) and Pranav Aggarwal (13) were announced as the city’s New Youth MPs for the next two years at a special ceremony at Peterborough Town Hall yesterday evening (Wednesday 13 March).

Danielle and Pranav were given certificates and congratulated by dignitories including Peterborough City Council Leader Councillor Mohammed Farooq, Matt Gladstone the council's Chief Executive and outgoing city Youth MP Eva Woods.

The other candidates in the elections were Amelia Ihsan, Amelia Javaid, Harriet Johnson, Shanzay Zehra Merchant, Aryan Nahata, Farrah Sliti, and Amina Umar.

Last month young people in Peterborough aged between 11 and 18 went to the polls to vote for two new Youth MPs – the first time that two youth MPs have been elected instead of one because of the growth in the number of young people living in the city in the past two years.

As Youth MPs, Danielle and Pranav will be the voice of young people in Peterborough, putting forward their views at a local level but also at a regional and national level through the UK Youth Parliament.

Danielle, a pupil at Stanground Academy, said: “When I heard my name read out as a new Youth MP I was like wow, the next two years are going to be very interesting! I’m really excited for this unique opportunity and I would like to thank everyone who voted for me, as well as my friends and family who gave me amazing support.

“My main priorities are tackling racism by promoting culture and diversity, improving access to education so that young people are fully aware of options available to them and tackling child poverty, so that everyone can have a good start in life.”

Pranav, a pupil at The King’s School, said: “I am feeling very happy and excited, being a Youth MP will help give me confidence and hopefully I can make a positive difference for young people in Peterborough.

“I want to do important things for young people and help them to the best of my abilities. My main priorities are creating more opportunities for young people and promoting diversity inclusivity throughout all schools.”

Councillor Ray Bisby, Cabinet member for Children’s Services said: “I would like to offer my congratulations to Danielle and Pranav. Becoming a Youth MP is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about decision making in our city and ensure that young people’s views are properly represented. I look forward to working with both of them over the next two years.

"I’d like to thank our brilliant outgoing youth MP Eva Woods for all her hard work over the past two years. She has been a brilliant ambassador for our city and has got involved in lots of issues affecting young people.

“I am also delighted that so many young people voted in these elections. Over 9,000 people is a phenomenal number and shows that many young people are interested in wanting to make a positive difference for the city. It also bodes extremely well for the future of politics in Peterborough.”