‘I want to be a role model’: Wakefield’s youngest councillor looking forward to challenge ahead after shock election victory

Labour’s Jordan Bryan took Wakefield Rural ward from the Tories by just 14 votes, defeating Ian Sanders at this year’s local elections.

The result was the last to be announced at the end of bruising day for the Conservatives after the votes were recounted three times.

Three weeks on from the dramatic victory, Coun Bryan says he is looking forward to getting to grips with the key issues in his ward.

He said: “Obviously it was quite daunting but you get your range and find your way around. I have been getting a lot of support.

“I’ve got a good circle around me. I’m doing alright in that respect.”

The 24-year-old grew up in South Kirkby, attending Minsthorpe Community College before working in concrete manufacturing.

He currently works in the hospitality industry and has been a governor at Common Road Primary School, in South Kirkby.

Coun Bryan said his interest in politics began during a 12-month period when he was unemployed.

He said: “I joined Labour when I was 18. I had nothing to do. I didn’t have a job but I wanted to better myself.

“I went on to South Kirkby and Moorthorpe Town Council. It was the first step on the ladder to becoming a councillor.

“I wanted to help people and break stereotypes by showing people that I could do it.

“I want to be a role model for people in the area where I live, so people can say ‘he did it so why can’t I?'”

It was Coun Bryan’s second attempt to get elected onto Wakefield Council.

He was a Wakefield Rural ward candidate in 2022, losing out to Tory councillor Samantha Harvey.

Coun Bryan said: “We lost by around 500 votes last time and we didn’t think that was too bad, so it encouraged me to have another go.

“It was much tighter this time around.You couldn’t really tell which way it was going to go.

“Talking to people on the doorsteps, there was a lot more encouragement for Labour than last year. We had a lot of people disliking voter ID and people were upset about prices and the cost of living.”

Coun Bryan will now hold the seat for at least the next three years, when an ‘all-out’ election will take place in 2026.

He said one of his major priorities would be to support residents in his ward who are opposing plans for a major solar farm on greenbelt land.

The Save Sitlington Countryside group is opposing a scheme by energy firm Boom Power to cover 133 acres of open countryside with solar panels.

Asked if he was confident of holding onto the seat beyond three years, Coun Bryan replied: “I’m certainly going to try.

“I’m not here to walk in and walk out. I’m here to make changes. I do see myself doing this for a long time.

“I want to go as far as I can go. I am young but I have got time on my side.”