City elects two youth MPs as young population grows

Pranav, 13, and Danielle, 15, were elected as Peterborough's youth MPs at a ceremony held at the Town Hall

Two young people have been elected as a city's new youth MPs.

More than 9,000 young people in Peterborough aged 11to 18 voted in this year’s UK Youth Parliament elections.

The winning pair was Danielle Daboh, 15, and Pranav Agarwal, 13, whose victories were announced at a ceremony held at Peterborough Town Hall on 13 March.

The new youth MPs said they hoped to promote diversity and inclusion among young people.

The city has two youth representatives rather than one because the number of young people living in the city had grown in the past two years, Peterborough City Council said.

Danielle, a pupil at Stanground Academy, said she was “excited” to be a youth MP.

“My main priorities are tackling racism by promoting culture and diversity, improving access to education so that young people are fully aware of options available to them and tackling child poverty, so that everyone can have a good start in life," Danielle said.

Pranav, a pupil at The King’s School, said he was “looking forward to making a difference”.

“I want to do important things for young people and help them to the best of my abilities," he said.

"My main priorities are creating more opportunities for young people and promoting diversity inclusivity throughout all schools."

Ray Bisby, cabinet member for children’s Services, said becoming a youth MP was a "fantastic opportunity" for young people to learn about decision-making and to get a fair representation.

He thanked outgoing youth MP Eva Woods and said she had been a brilliant ambassador for the city.