A 16-YEAR-OLD, who is rising in the world of politics is taking Herefordshire Council to task on various local issues.

Haydn Osborne-Brookes asked Hereford Council’s transport chief what the likely impact would be on the A49 traffic of the promised half-hourly bus services between Ross-on-Wye and Hereford.

He also quizzed the cabinet member for transport and infrastructure Cllr Philip Price about the Hereford bypass and said: “In October I asked how the council can justify £40 million just for the southern link road, and making local people pay for it.”

Cllr Price replied that while the work to create the new route would reduce some congestion, but it would not significantly diminish the case for the bypass.”

Mr Osborne-Brookes said: “But we still haven’t seen the modelling data that this is based on. I’ve not been satisfied with Cllr Price’s responses.”

Mr Osborne-Brookes said that he campaigns on issues like free public transport and votes for 16-year-olds due to his ‘pretty awful’ experience of public transport locally.

“There is an appetite for discussion among young people, but many don’t see a future here,” he said.

“Public transport is one was that the county could be made more welcoming, especially for those who can’t drive – rather than spending this insane amount on the bypass.”

Haydn, who doesn’t have a family background in politics, got a taste for it through being involved in Ellie Chowns’ successful bid to become the county’s first Green MP at the last general election for North Herefordshire.

Though still only in his first year of A-levels at Hereford Sixth Form College, last summer he worked with the team behind the election campaign of the party’s now joint deputy leader Rachel Millward, whose social media presence he continues to look after.