Work experience student plays key role at council by-election

Twm Owen, Local Democracy Reporter

A teenager found herself playing a crucial role at an election count thanks to her Welsh language skills.

16-year-old Ffion Brown was given the responsibility of reading the official results for a borough council by-election to candidates, agents and supporters gathered at a church hall in Cwmbran.

The teen was working with council staff running the election as part of a Torfaen Borough Council project to widen participation and engagement in local democracy among younger people.

As well as helping count the nearly 2,000 votes cast in the Llantarnam ward by-election on Thursday, July 2 the student, who’s recently taken her GCSEs at Pontypool’s Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw, was asked to make official declarations in Welsh on behalf of acting returning officer David Leech, the authority’s deputy chief executive, so the count could be conducted bilingually.

“I really appreciate the chance to use Welsh and there are now so many different opportunities to use Welsh outside of school, it is definitely getting better,” said the teen from New Inn who first became involved in the council’s youth take over days through school.

That involved youngsters from a number of Torfaen schools attending a full council meeting and working alongside staff including top officers and chief executive Stephen Vickers.

“I’ve done a lot of different stuff like the Torfaen take over days and want to show initiative to be involved as I’m not sure what I would like to do in the future,” said Ffion who had to apply for the first take over day she joined.

Youth board

She has since worked to prepare ballot boxes for May’s Senedd elections and is part of the council’s youth board.

The election in May was the first in which Ffion was entitled to vote and she is also looking forward to a Pontypool Community Council by-election in New Inn later in July: “I’ve had my polling card and I will encourage as many of my friends to vote as well.

“We have lots of discussion on politics in school, the teachers obviously stay impartial, but it’s passionate and respectful we also discuss politics at lunchtime and many people in school are interested.

“I voted in the Senedd election, and I think all of my friends did, I made sure to tell them to.”

Ffion who plans to return to Gwynllyw in September to study sciences at A-level has also undertaken work experience with the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff: “One week would have been all through Welsh but I couldn’t do it as I will be away but I’ve been doing it this week in English and it’s been really good.”