Political power for Jodie at just 22

Meet Jodie Jones, who is one of the youngest councillors ever to sit on Cannock Chase District Council and has ambitions to one day make a name for herself as an MP.

Councillor Jones, aged 22, misses out on the authority's "youngest ever" title by three months – she is beaten by the current government's Chief Whip, Patrick McLoughlin.

Mr McLoughlin, who now represents Derbyshire Dales, was 21 when he stood for Cannock South and 22 and six months when elected to Cannock Chase District Council.

Councillor Jones, however, is the district council's current youngest member. She won the Rawnsley seat for the Conservatives in May's local elections at the age of 22 years and nine months.

It has been a quick turnaround for the Huntington-born former Chase High School pupil, who is reading politics and history at Oxford University.

She currently works at Cannock's Helpzone – Chase MP Aidan Burley's town centre surgery.

Councillor Jones said she decided to run for council last November.

"I've have always been quite opinionated, and this gives me a chance to have a say on things that are important to me," she said.

"It gives me a chance to make sure things get done."

The Tory politician says her main aims are to restore local people's faith in politicians and inspire younger people to take an interest.

She said: "A lot of people have become disillusioned with politics.

"There has been a lot of bad press recently, and I think that's a real shame."

Councillor Jones says that she is in no rush to get her teeth into national issues but says she looks up to the current Home Secretary Theresa May and has ambitions to take a seat in the Commons at some point in her life.