City's youngest councillor to step down

Lily Fitzgibbon was 18 when she was elected in 2021

Bristol's youngest city councillor has announced she is standing down.

Lily Fitzgibbon, was aged 18 when she was elected as one of the two new Green members for Bishopston & Ashley Down ward at the 2021 local elections.

Ms Gibbon said she is moving away to be nearer to her family.

A by-election will now be arranged to fill the vacancy.

'A tremendous honour'

The university student, who grew up in Bishopston, was a Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate organiser while still at school and helped arrange Greta Thunberg's protest on College Green in February 2020.

She clashed with Labour mayor Marvin Rees at one of her first council meetings two months after being elected during a row over Bristol Airport's "greenwashing" claims.

Announcing her resignation from City Hall, Ms Fitzgibbon said it had not been an easy decision.

She said: "It has been a tremendous honour to be able to make a difference for local people, alongside my fellow Green councillor Emma Edwards.

“Together, we got safety improvements to the roads outside our local primary schools and City of Bristol College.

“We’ve worked with residents on issues with bus services and supported campaigns on the lack of school places.

“We’ve obtained trees from the council to plant on Horfield Common, and, along with local campaigners, we helped save the much-loved Ashley Down oak.”