Councillor using Tik Tok to show 'candid' side of local politics

"WHEN I started, I thought if I could reach just one young woman and make them think that maybe they could do this, or someone who has never thought about local politics and how it affects them, it'll be worth it.

- By JOE LOCKER Local democracy reporter

Nottingham city Labour councillor Sam Lux has just returned from maternity leave, having brought her daughter, Cleo, into the world last year.

She has been documenting her return with video clips on TikTok.

In just a few weeks, Councillor Lux, who is the council's executive member for climate and energy, has racked up thousands of views.

One clip, titled "a day in the life of a Nottingham councillor leading on climate juggling a new baby', has been watched more than 17,000 times.

"The original inspiration is I went to an event with the Labour Party which was specifically about connecting with young people in politics, and someone made the point that young people are a lot more likely to know who is on their favourite dating show, all of the different contestants, but they are unlikely to know who represents them at the local level, maybe even national level," the 31-year-old told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"It got me thinking it is my responsibility as an elected representative to get my messages through to everyone.