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Teenagers put in charge of public services by Reform
The Independent
|July 06, 2025
Reform UK is under fire for letting teenagers run vital public services after it stormed to power in councils across the country in May's local elections.
The party has been criticised for letting 18-year-old George Finch run Warwickshire County Council, which has a budget of around £500m and assets of £1.5bn.
Now, some two months after it took over 10 councils, it has emerged that a slew of high-profile roles have been taken on by teenagers. On Leicestershire County Council, Reform councillor Charles Pugsley, 19, has been made the cabinet member for children and family services, The Guardian reported.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old Joseph Boam has been made deputy council leader and put in charge of adult social care, having previously claimed that “depression isn’t real”, the paper revealed.
This story is from the July 06, 2025 edition of The Independent.
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