UK's youngest civic society chair steps down

A chairman who was the youngest head of a civic society in the UK when he was elected in 2017 is stepping down.

Bradford Civic Society chair Si Cunningham, now 39, spent more than a decade serving the organisation in various roles and founded the Blue Plaques for Bradford Scheme in 2019.

Cunningham, who championed a number of campaigns to promote civic pride and better design in Bradford and helped secure a Historic England Heritage Action Zone for the city centre, said he is standing down to focus more on work and family commitments.

He said when he joined the organisation he "brought the average age down by about 30 years".

"Being involved in such an historic organisation at a time of great change for Bradford has been an incredibly rewarding experience," he said.

"When I first joined the civic society as a member, I was interested in discovering more about the city's heritage, and had no intention of becoming the group's chair.

"But the passion and warmth of Bradfordians is infectious, and I'm fortunate to have been trusted to work on some very fun things for a place loved by so many."

Cunningham was also behind the introduction of heritage-style street name plates and boundary welcome signs that have recently been put in place across Bradford.

He recently commissioned the city's 15th blue plaque and has championed the city's 20th Century architecture, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Blue plaques have by far been the most rewarding part of the role, although I admit that it's not been without challenges because of the huge amount of logistics involved, and also a lot of emotionally-charged subjects.

"But Bradford now has a scheme that's up to the same standard as other big English cities, which I think is very important for us," he said.

He will remain involved in Bradford Civic Society, which was founded in 1942, and will continue to chair the City's Heritage Action Zone.

Cunningham stood to be a Labour councillor in the Royds ward in the recent local elections but lost to Reform UK.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.