Reform UK’s George Finch, 19, becomes Warwickshire council leader

Warwickshire County Council has formally appointed a teenager to run the £2bn local authority.

Reform’s George Finch, 19, has become the youngest permanent council leader in the UK during the vote at the council’s Shire Hall headquarters in Warwick on Tuesday.

The election was not straightforward as, while Reform is the largest party on the council, it does not hold an overall majority, with the group previously relying on votes from Conservative councillors.

However, the Conservative members abstained from the final round of voting, leading to a tie with the Liberal Democrat nominee, Jerry Roodhouse, that was ultimately broken by Reform’s Edward Harris – the council’s chairman.

The election was needed after his predecessor Rob Howard quit the role just 41 days into the job – citing health reasons – and Finch took over as interim leader.

Speaking as he voted to install Finch as leader, Harris said he was “disappointed and excited at the same time”.

“It [the tie] is not something I take lightly at all, and something I would rather not have happened,” the chairman added.

Roodhouse had been supported by Green and Labour councillors.

The 19-year-old will oversee a budget of half-a-billion pounds, along with council assets worth £1.5bn.