Oliver Probert-Hill from Sandbach and Anna Morgan from Crewe have been elected as two new members of youth parliament representing young people across Cheshire East for the next two years.

In a virtual event hosted by Cheshire East Council, Oliver and Anna, both aged 15, received the most votes from an election process that saw nearly 4,000 votes cast by young people across the borough as part of the UK Youth Parliament elections.

Members of Youth Parliament are elected every two years by other young people in their local area.

Any 11–18-year-old can stand or vote in the election. Oliver and Anna will now be expected to find out about the concerns and needs of other young people across Cheshire East and represent their views to decision-makers on a local, regional, and national level.

During their term of office, they will have the opportunity to get involved in a variety of events, projects and campaigns.

Campaigns from the last term of office included hosting a mental health conference, called Taboo, highlighting mental health services across Cheshire East and more recently the SHOUT campaign to tackle sexual harassment in schools and colleges, which won 'campaign of the year' at the British Youth Council awards.

The youth parliament election results were announced on the same day as the British Youth Council 'Make you Mark' results.

Make your Mark gives all young people aged 11-18 in the UK the chance to have a say on the biggest issues facing them.

The results will be used to decide what the UK Youth Parliament should campaign on in 2022-24. Nationally, the top three issues were:

Oliver said: "I believe that everyone should have equal rights but currently in our society not everyone is treated equally, for example, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, LGBTQ+ young people and young people with disabilities.

"I also strongly believe in ending the terrible child poverty rates. I focus my support for this by volunteering my time at places like food banks and encouraging others to do the same."

Anna said: "At least one in eight young people have a diagnosable mental health condition. I believe it is important for children and young people to receive treatment or counselling before their condition worsens.

"I feel that if funding for children's mental health services was increased, it could mean less people seeking these services as they progress to adulthood."

Councillor Kathryn Flavell, lead member for children and families at Cheshire East Council, said: "I'd like to congratulate Oliver and Anna and welcome them as our new members of youth parliament for Cheshire East.

"I'd also like to thank all the candidates as well as our outgoing members of youth parliament, Ruben and Jasmine, for their commitment and hard work, standing up and being a voice for young people.

"We know it's vitally important for anyone working with children to listen to what they have to say, take their views seriously, and work with them together when deciding how best to support their needs.

"We take this responsibility seriously, supporting young people to develop their skills, influence decision makers and provide opportunities to create positive change in Cheshire East and beyond."