Councillor, 18, overwhelmed to win seat from Tories

An 18-year-old who has won a council seat for Labour in the local elections said she was "overwhelmed" by her victory.

Daisy Creedon-Blakemore, who is due to sit her A-levels next week, had 940 votes in the election for Peterborough City Council's Fletton & Woodston ward.

Labour has become the largest party on the council after Thursday's voting, but the authority still has no single party in overall control.

Ms Blakemore said she was "pretty much overwhelmed at the moment, but we've worked the ward really hard".

The student said: "I’m 18 and six months; I’m the youngest Labour councillor in the country now.”

She had 282 more votes than sitting Tory councillor Andy Coles.

Since November, the council has been run as minority administration by Peterborough First - a group largely made up of councillors who have defected from the Conservatives.

When Ms Creedon-Blakemore’s win was announced there was loud applause at the count, which included her mother and grandparents.

While she admitted "it hasn’t sunk in yet" it was "great to have them supporting me".

The new councillor added: “It’s been a thrill, the residents in Fletton & Woodston are amazing and now it’s great to represent them.”

Andrew Pakes, the Labour candidate for the Peterborough parliamentary constituency, congratulated the 18-year-old, external on a “thumping Labour gain”.

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