An Elm Park teenager is proving that young people are engaged in politics, as she starts her year as the voice of youth in the borough.

Alicia Murphy, 17, is Havering’s first Youth Leader, and was elected in November.

Last week she was a guest panellist at Havering Council’s Ask the Cabinet meeting.

She has also had her own meeting with council leader Cllr Michael White, and other cabinet members, as part of her job, which is to act as the main contact between Havering Council and Havering Youth Council.

The Youth Council is made up of 15 members, who are elected from schools across the borough, and collect money for charity as well as representing young peoples’ views.

Alicia, a Year 13 pupil at Sacred Heart of Mary Girls School in Upminster, said: “I have a lot of ideas about how we put can young people’s views across. All of our Youth Council members are different but the enthusiasm is there with all of us.”

“I’m looking forward to working closely with Havering Council to represent young local people – I’m very community focused and I thought standing for Youth Leader was an opportunity I could not miss.”

She is currently doing A-Levels in History, English Literature, Classical Civilisation and Russian, and hopes to study law at university.

Leader of Havering Council, Cllr Michael White, said: “I was very happy to meet Alicia and introduce her to Havering’s Cabinet.

“This is a great development for our young people across Havering, as she will be the main contact point between us and the Youth Council, so we will be able to hear their views directly. I look forward to working with her.”

At the Ask the Cabinet meeting last week she took part in a discussion of how to get more young people involved in volunteering in community centres.