BBCET students elected Young Mayor and Member of Youth Parliament

Students at a BBCET school in North Shields were celebrating after two of their peers were elected to the positions of Young Mayor and Member of Youth Parliament.

Diamond Okoye and Maggie Stead from St Thomas More Catholic High School pipped the competition to the post in the North Tyneside Council elections, making it the first time that pupils from the school had held both offices.

It was also the sixth time that a St Thomas More student had been elected as Young Mayor – and the fourth in five years – with Diamond following in the footsteps of Rebecca Leighton in 2011, Abbie Armstrong in 2015, Suzie McKenzie during the Pandemic, Max Godfrey in 2022, and Cameron Quinn in 2023.

“Diamond ran on a platform of providing an inclusive environment and opportunities for all students, regardless of race, gender, religion, or disability,” said predecessor Max, who is now in Year 13 at the school.

“In her new position as Young Mayor, she will be supported with funding and the advice of council staff to help her achieve her pledges.

“Moreover, Diamond marks the fourth Young Mayor our school has had in the last five years, continuing a proud legacy of participation and leadership in local youth politics.”

Fellow St Thomas More student Maggie, who is in Year 9, is the first Member of Youth Parliament to be elected from the school for seven years, and will represent North Tyneside’s 42,000 young people on a national forum.

As well as liaising with MPs in the area, she will have the opportunity to visit Parliament and to take part in the Youth Parliament Debate, where she will be able to campaign to further her pledge.

“When I saw the opportunity to run as a Member of Youth Parliament, I grabbed it with both hands,” she said. “I knew that if I got elected, it would be an amazing opportunity.

“My pledge was, and is, to utilise spaces within the borough for regular youth groups and inclusive, safe socialising.

“The night of the ceremony was one of the most stressful nights ever, but one I’ll never forget. I am so grateful to everyone in the borough who voted for me.

"I’m excited to get started and to work alongside Diamond, the new Young Mayor, to try to make the borough the best place for as many people as possible.”