Just in case anyone is wondering why I haven't been around that much lately - this is why: today I was elected as a Councillor for Hillsborough Ward in Sheffield!The experience itself was rather hectic. The count was easy enough - it was obvious after the first two boxes that we had won substantial majority. News started filtering through from our other target wards that things were going well. Then came the exciting bit!

The candidates were all called up onto the podium - which is quite an intoxicating experience as you are looking down on a sea of people many of whom are cheering for you!

The votes for each candidate were read out and I was declared elected - I was then whisked off to the side to be sworn in by the Council's chief executive (which involves reading some lines from a book and then signing it).

I then had my photo taken for the Council website in front of the infamous tie-dye blue background - I think they take them just after you've won to make sure you'll actually be smiling!

Following that I was collared by photographers from the Star and Yorkshire Post who wanted me to repeat my victory pose - presumably so they could get a better photo of it for the next editions. I've told my mum to go out and buy the papers tomorrow... ;-)

Then I was taken to see some student journalists who pointed a TV camera at me and did a short interview - hopefully not for consumption by too large an audience!

Then it was off up to the Town Hall for a big photo shoot with Nick Clegg on the front steps - with lots of curious shoppers milling about wondering what on earth we were doing!