Lewisham's Young Mayor election sees record breaking turnout
Shane Grant, aged 14, has been elected as Lewisham’s next Young Mayor following a borough-wide election on Wednesday 8 February. The student who attends Trinity School secured 2,291 votes, earning the opportunity to represent and advocate for young people across the borough.
Joining Shane is Jimaine Lee, aged 14 a student at St Matthew Academy, who has been elected Deputy Young Mayor with 1,013 votes.
This year’s election saw an impressive 9,914 votes cast across schools, sixth forms and colleges in the borough, representing a record-breaking 62% turnout—the highest in the 20-year history of Lewisham’s Young Mayor elections.
Shane Grant, the new Young Mayor of Lewisham said:
“Thank you to everyone who supported me and my campaign. I’m willing to make real change in Lewisham, so stick with me - you’ve made the right choice. I look forward to being the best that I can be in this role.”
Mayor of Lewisham, Brenda Dacres said:
“Congratulations to Shane Grant, who was elected the next Young Mayor of Lewisham, and Jimaine Lee who was elected as our new Deputy Young Mayor. All of the candidates are promising young people with plenty of bright ideas for the future. Now in its 20th year, we also had the highest ever turnout in a Young Mayor of Lewisham election with 16,003 of our young people voting – incredible!
"I’m really looking forward to working with Shane and Jimaine – they’ve done so well to be the top two of 36 candidates. I’d also like to say a big thank you to our outgoing Young Mayor Bilvilyn Asamoah and Deputy Young Mayor Paul Frimpong, who have been fantastic ambassadors for the borough.”
The Young Mayor and Deputy Young Mayor will work alongside the council and local organisations to deliver projects, represent young people’s views, and influence decision-making over the coming year.