A HALESOWEN councillor - the youngest in the West Midlands - is celebrating his second major success in four months after winning a place at Birmingham University.

Jake Cooper, who represents Belle Vale ward, says he is ‘ecstatic’ on achieving an A*, A and B pass grades in his A- levels after taking exams at King Edward VI College in Stourbridge.

His success is even more impressive as he had to revise while successfully campaigning to win his council seat in May.

The 18-year-old is now looking forward to studying political science and international relations in the next step of a career he hopes will see him in the House of Commons.

Saying he is one of the youngest councillors in the country, he admitted balancing a political career and school work was tricky.

“My results were brilliant and much better than I expected,“ he said.

“It was obviously very difficult and I was improvising quite a lot.  I had to make sure I left another time between campaigning and revising and I stuck to my timetable, making sure I got my college work done and that I think is a good tip for anyone studying.”

He added he chose the University of Birmingham because he wants to continue as a councillor while studying and trying to enjoy the student life.

“I’m looking forward to meeting new people from different areas and backgrounds and getting involved in the debates and exchanging of ideas,“ he explained.