New Youth Parliament Member takes up post

7.45.17pm GMT Sat 23rd Feb 2008

• JEM Bhatt became the new face of the borough's young people after being elected 2008 Youth Parliament Member this week.

Flo Wright and Srdjan Miletic were named the borough's Deputy Youth Parliament Members on Tuesday in an event broadcast live over the internet from the Richmond Council chamber. The race drew 4,735 votes- a 16 percent increase over 2007 - as young people across the borough cast their votes for the 18 hopeful candidates. Students from Waldegrave, Shene, Orleans Park, Teddington, Whitton and Grey Court secondary schools and Richmond upon Thames College campaigned for four weeks for the chance to represent the borough. Dr. Vincent Cable MP and Susan Kramer MP, joined by Council Members and the candidates' friends and families, came to congratulate them on a successful campaign.

Cllr. John Coombs, Richmond Council's Cabinet Member for Youth, Culture and Leisure, said: "I would like to congratulate all the candidates on their hard work during a successful election that inspired so many of our borough's young people to make their voices heard. The Youth Parliament offers them a wonderful forum for putting their views forward and Jem will now have the honour of representing our borough. Together with the Richmond Youth Forum and with the support of the Council and her deputies, she will be able to discuss issues with young people locally and speak for them on the national stage. I wish our new MYP and her deputies the best of luck in the coming year."