A COUNCILLOR who is resigning from his position after 18 months says he looks back fondly on his time in the role.

Labour’s Calvin Rodgerson became Carlisle City Council’s youngest ever councillor when he won the seat for Newtown and Morton North last May aged 21.

He is now moving from the city he loves to pursue his career as a carer.

Due to the uncertain times surrounding the election, Mr Rodgerson was far from sure he would win.

“It was an odd one. Obviously with it being new boundaries. It had been a Labour seat but had been Lib Dem in the past,” he explained.

“There was a lot of concern within the leadership of the party about whether it could win.

“It was shown in the results that UKIP came quite close in the end.”

He won the seat and was elected alongside fellow Labour candidates Pam Birks and Les Tickner.

Despite initial doubts, Mr Rodgerson believes he was treated fairly during his time in the role, despite his young age.

“When I got elected in the following weeks I was concerned, “ he said. “I thought I wasn’t going to be treated the same as everybody else.

“But I was guided by people, not just in the Labour Party either.

“Madam Mayor has been amazing in giving me support and advice.

“A lot of time people did want to take me under their wing.”

Mr Rodgerson has one particular highlight that he is most proud of.

“I submitted a motion to say that the council believes that schools should be teaching inclusive relationship studies for LGBT pupils and showing younger people who are LGBT that they are part of that community,” he said.

“It received cross-party support and the vote was unanimous.

“It was a really proud moment.

“I was concerned how it would go.”

He said he planned to move back to Carlisle at some point and had not ruled out a return to politics in the future, or even the chance to become an MP.

“I wouldn’t say I was a career politician and I don’t strive to become an MP, but if the opportunity where members of the Carlisle Labour group thought I was the best person to stand for Carlisle I would take it and go for it,” he explained.

An election will be held in May to find a replacement.

Former councillor Dave Graham is to stand for Labour in the upcoming election, he revealed.