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Connor Mulhall and Princess Bright are from opposite corners of the country and come from contrasting backgrounds, but they do have one thing in common: both are the youngest-ever ceremonial mayors chosen to represent their town or borough.

They hope that if young people in their areas can see someone like them in positions of civic leadership, they are more likely to believe the system works for them.

There are around 300 civic mayors across England, alongside more than a dozen directly elected metro mayors. Mulhall and Bright are both far from the traditional image of a ceremonial mayor: usually an older white man in robes, wearing a heavy chain.

The House travelled to Wetherby, West Yorkshire, to meet its 27-year-old mayor, Connor Mulhall, who was named Young Councillor of the Year by the National Association of Local Councils earlier this year.

Many people are likely to know Wetherby for its large service station stop on the A1, the long dual carriageway that connects London all the way up to Edinburgh.

For Mulhall, it is much more. Walking through the town, he points out the details of every little feature of the town. The best fish and chip shops. An information board about the historic brass band marching contest. A school building in need of repair. Air pollution monitors he helped to install. Flowerbeds that have been upgraded. Some fallen branches in the river that he had requested be cleared. “And look, there’s a woodpecker!” he exclaims.

Inside the town hall, the generational contrast between Mulhall and his council colleagues is obvious. Mulhall is the only person in his 20s we come across in the building, and there is a lunch being hosted for elderly residents. An older woman approaches him to say thank you for his “lovely” get-well card. She turns out to be his ex-girlfriend’s grandmother.

Mulhall did not follow a typical route into politics. He left sixth-form to start an apprenticeship with O2, where he still works, alongside serving as mayor and councillor. At 19, he was encouraged by the local Conservative association to stand for the council, and broke the record to become the town’s youngest-ever councillor before doing the same as mayor when he was selected last year.

Wetherby is a traditionally Conservative area, and Mulhall is a Tory councillor. But he sees the mayoralty as something separate from party politics. For him, it is about being an ambassador for the town, supporting charities, organising events and encouraging people to take part in local life.This includes advocating for causes very personal to him. The following weekend, he is due to speak at a service raising money for the mental health charity Mind. Mulhall grew up with both parents experiencing mental health problems and relying on benefits, and had to live with his grandparents from a young age.

“My mum and dad have been helped by that charity, and I know that a lot of people in Wetherby have as well,” he says.

“We have had a lot of young suicides in Wetherby in the last few years. It’s a lovely place to be, but we’re not immune to that, and it does happen. It is worth talking about, because it can go on quietly; a lot of people don’t know.”

A new study by a research team from Royal Holloway, University of London, has found that nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of UK adolescents aged between 12 and 17 would vote if given the opportunity – far above the most recent voter turnout in the 2024 general election (60 per cent).

A majority – 57 per cent – also said they were interested in politics, and 58 per cent said they were willing to participate politically across five different forms of participation, with a higher preference for online than in-person participation.

The report argues that while lowering the voting age to 16 could help to include young people in democracy, this engagement is tempered by anxiety about the future and low trust in institutions, leaving young people “willing but wary”.

Mulhall says that reflects what he sees on the ground, and he does not accept the idea that young people are apathetic. Instead, he points to growing involvement in local projects and events.

“We’ve got a lot of younger people wanting to be involved in the council’s work, getting involved in things like the town bonfire,” he says. “That’s how the interest in getting involved in local stuff starts, and that has improved over recent years.”

Princess Bright, 30, became the youngest-ever Mayor of Barking and Dagenham in London last year, at the age of 29. Her route into politics was very different, with her mother having served as a Labour mayor before her, and her father as a pastor.

Like Mulhall, Bright believes that mayors can help to turn young people’s interest in politics into active engagement.

Bright believes visibility matters, explaining that young people have told her that before seeing someone like her as mayor, they “didn’t really care” about politics or local events.

“One thing I would say to young people is for them to remember that their voices matter,” she says. “And why I say that is the fact that even at a local level, they can be part of a change.”

Her presence online has helped reinforce that message. With more than 20,000 followers across Instagram and Facebook, she believes her social media profile has led to her being invited into more schools and community spaces than her mayoral predecessors, giving her opportunities to engage directly with younger audiences.

Bright believes social media is crucial for making local politics more visible and understandable.

“There is a lack of education about local politics in general,” she says.

Mulhall agrees, but stresses the need to balance the traditions of the ceremonial mayor’s role with more modern digital communication.

“Having the traditional stuff that happens every year – I think it’s really important, and I will continue to do that, because that’s the historic part of it all,” he says.

But he puts his own energetic twist on his role as mayor. In the run-up to Christmas, he filmed himself recreating the Hugh Grant dance scene from Love Actually in Wetherby town hall to raise money for Martin House children’s hospice.

Particularly for young people, if there is any time to get involved in politics, it’s now, because it’s not normal times in terms of the state of the world

Mulhall traces his own political interest back to primary school in York, where he lived as a child before moving to Wetherby.

“The park on my street was really derelict, and it had been neglected,” he says. “I worked with the local council and councillors to help redesign that park.

“I brought it to the school for consultation, and I worked really closely with a lot of the teachers. We converted this playground into a brand new one, and it’s still being used today. It still looks really nice. I do occasionally go down there, and that’s something I think is really nice in local politics… You can look at something and go: ‘I actually helped to do that’.”

He briefly considered standing for Youth Parliament as a teenager, but decided local government was where he could have the most impact.

“For me, it’s about getting things done,” he says, hinting at a sense of urgency.

“Particularly for young people, if there is any time to get involved in politics, it’s now, because it’s not normal times in terms of the state of the world.

“Regardless of your viewpoints, you need to be involved in that conversation, because it could go down paths that you may not agree with or dark paths.”

When pressed on what he means, he points to a broader breakdown in political dialogue rather than any single party. But he and Bright are clearly both painfully aware that their mainstream parties are getting squeezed by Reform UK on the right and the Green Party on the left, with young people even more likely to be tempted by the insurgent challenger parties.

“There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to kind of bridge those gaps, but that can easily slip away,” Mulhall says. “I think it’s now more than ever for young people to get involved and have their voice heard.”

Mulhall is not up for election as a councillor this year, but Bright is fighting for her council seat. She also avoids directly criticising Reform and the Greens, which are both predicted to win multiple seats from Labour in the upcoming May elections. Barking and Dagenham looks to be a tight race between Reform and Labour, while there are multiple contests across the capital where the Greens could win councils from Labour. However, Bright encourages young people “not to vote blindly just because of what the hype is online”.

“We had Nigel Farage come down to Dagenham last week, because there is a huge influx of Reform, especially on social media, doing a lot to try and build a narrative and gain a lot of the Labour and Tory votes.

“I always say to young people when I’m out on the doorstep that they should make sure that they are reading literature properly and really understanding what the parties are offering, what their ethos is, what their manifesto is, what their policies are. I can never really personally try and convince them to vote a specific way this year because of my apolitical status.”

Being a young mayor is not always straightforward, with both saying their age can prompt scepticism from older councillors and residents.

“It can be quite challenging sometimes when they think I’m quite naive,” Mulhall admits. “But I’ve actually got over 10 years of experience in working and relationship building.

“I’ve been working since I was 14, and the things I’ve seen in my life, the people I’ve met and the jobs that I’ve done, it’s all part of the experience that I bring to the table. I don’t have a traditional background in terms of how I’ve got to be here.”

Last year, the Labour government announced that 16- and 17-year-olds will be able to vote in the next general election. While Bright supports the change, Mulhall is unconvinced.

“I appreciate there are lots of other things you can do when you’re 16, but actually it should be up to 18 for everything,” he says, arguing that many 16-year-olds do not yet “have a real grip and understanding of the world”.

When it comes to their own futures, both mayors are cautious, but do not rule out considering a move into higher political office, including running for Parliament.

“Do I want my political career to stop at just being the mayor?” Bright says. “No. But do I know my next steps, and have I mapped it out yet? No.”

Mulhall admits he has thought about what he might be giving up by pursuing a political career. Before becoming mayor, he had been considering leaving Wetherby and travelling, like many of his friends.

“I love what I do,” he says, but acknowledges that the role comes with trade-offs. For now, he has chosen to stay, and says “never say never” when it comes to running for a seat on Leeds City Council in the future.

“But one thing that I’ve learnt is that it’s all well and good having a plan, but there’s something that can come and hit you from the side and completely change what you do and where you are.

“So, I’ll just see where I am. My focus is working with the town council and the other councils to get through the strategy for the next year. But never say never… That’s a very politician’s answer.”

Back in Wetherby town hall, his name now sits at the bottom of a plaque listing every previous mayor dating back to the 1970s. But it is another plaque that holds his attention longer: the one celebrating outstanding young people in the town, part of an annual award he says he is most proud of hosting.