The youngest councillor in Ipswich has written a passionate blog urging fellow young people to ignore comedian Russell Brand’s calls for them to abstain from voting.

Kim Cook, 24, was elected Labour county councillor for Gainsborough division in 2013. She wrote the blog in the week that her party leader Ed Miliband was photographed meeting the controversial comedian.

In a blog entitled “Dear Russell” at kimvelvet.com she says: “I’m 24 and have grown up with politics. I understand the importance of making the decision to go out and vote, particularly as a young woman.

“Women haven’t had the vote that long and we are always fighting for equality, how can we fight for other rights when we don’t even use the rights we have fought for in the past?

“If the population don’t go out and vote changes can’t be made. Sometimes it’s better that people vote just to prevent all the bad things happening like more cuts to vital services, selling off the NHS and making the gap between the wealthy and poor grow even bigger.”

She said that those who did not vote were shutting themselves out of changing the system.

“The problem I have Russell is I totally agree with you about everything you are fighting for and I cannot work out why we aren’t on the same page.

“I get that you don’t like the posh boy brigade leading the various political parties. I don’t either, but it’s not just about the person who gets to stand up and talk on the television; it’s about what is right for the country.”

After writing about her party’s policies, she concludes: “The Labour Party has always tried to make this country fairer and tried to close the gap between the highest earners and the lowest. Change can happen, Change does happen. Maybe the change isn’t as quickly as we would all like but it is there.”