The role of youth mayor in Milton Keynes has a new occupant after 16-year-old Tito Adeyale was chosen to represent the city’s younger residents for the coming 12 months. She will act as an ambassador at civic and community engagements and sit on council scrutiny for children and young people.
Family inspiration and a push for broader participation
Adeyale said her decision to stand was shaped by her older sister’s involvement in youth politics. Her sister, already a member of the UK Youth Parliament, provided an example of perseverance that convinced Tito young people can take meaningful roles in public life.
"My sister's just so resilient and goes for whatever she wants against all odds... [it] showed me that young people can actually have a place in politics."
She told InfoRadar that being youth mayor gives her a platform to challenge perceptions among peers that politics is only about argument and division. Adeyale hopes to show that politics can be a way for young people to work together and to influence decisions that affect them.
How the youth voice is chosen in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes runs a substantial participation programme for under-18s. Each year more than 25,000 young people vote in youth council elections, using physical polling stations and ballot papers in schools. Those elected serve on the MK Youth Council (MKYC); two members go on to represent the city on the UK Youth Parliament.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Youth mayor | Tito Adeyale |
| Age | 16 |
| Term | 12 months |
| Council role | Representative on Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee |
Local context and what it means for the city
Adeyale, who has lived in Milton Keynes all her life, described the city as calm and noted its green spaces, rivers and lakes as positive features. She also pointed to the city’s rapid growth and its status as a relatively new urban area as part of the backdrop to her ambitions.
- She intends to encourage more young people to take an interest in politics and civic life.
- Her appointment highlights the scale of youth engagement: tens of thousands vote in the MKYC process annually.
- Her role includes formal participation on a council scrutiny committee, giving direct access to local decision-making.
The selection of a new youth mayor comes at a time when councils across the country face calls to broaden participation. In Milton Keynes, the established structure of the MK Youth Council and its links to the UK Youth Parliament offer a clear pathway for young people to be heard. Adeyale’s term will test whether personal example and local outreach can shift attitudes among peers who may currently see politics as divisive rather than collaborative.
As she prepares to take up engagements across the city, the youth mayor has spoken of making youth voices visible and of normalising political conversation among her friends and classmates. Her year in office will involve public-facing ambassadorial duties alongside scrutiny work inside the council, giving her a dual platform to advance youth priorities in Milton Keynes.
