Tyne and Wear Citizens Mayoral Assembly

by Alfie Littlewood, Year 8

On Tuesday 30th April, the Tyne and Wear Citizens from St Thomas More were at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House to persuade three of the five North of Tyne mayoral candidates to pledge to tend to some of the most important issues in the North East. The candidates who chose to join us on the night were:

–        Jamie Driscoll (Labour)

–        John McCabe (Independent)

–        John Appleby (Liberal Democrats)

Our pledge was for every school in the North East to have a school counsellor. We read testimonies (stories) from children who had needed a school counsellor but who had struggled to get access to one. This was the first time that I had spoken to a large audience. It was very nerve-racking but we all managed to do it. All of the three candidates accepted a

nd pledged to follow through. We had a great night.

The overall turnout was 750 people almost filling the whole theatre. After we had made our speeches, we sat back to watch the rest of this powerful event. I speak on behalf of everyone when I say that we all had a wonderful night.

Update 3rd May: Since the assembly, Jamie Driscoll (Labour) has won the election to become North of Tyne Mayor.  We look forward to seeing Mr Driscoll follow through on the pledges he made on the night.