WHAT began as a race between 56 hopefuls has now been reduced to 16 finalists who have made it through as official candidates in the race to become the first Young Mayor of Newham Following a nail biting Primary election, held on Saturday at the Old Town Hall, Stratford, young people who secured the required 50 signatures of support pitted against each other with powerful manifestos and then voted for their 15 favourite candidates.

The results yielded one more candidate than anticipated after a tie between contenders brought the shortlist to 16.

The 16 candidates returned to the Old Town Hall on Sunday where, following on from the skills in public speaking, delivering presentations and devising manifestos they learnt on Saturday, the remaining hopefuls began structuring their campaigns.

Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales visited the candidates to speak more about the role of the Young Mayor of Newham. He said: "The Young Mayor of Newham will be a challenging and demanding role as well as rewarding and satisfying for whoever secures the year in office.

Newham has the highest percentage of young people of any borough in England - accounting for more than 40 percent of the population -and it is important that their views are heard and thoughtfully considered. The mix of candidates we have reflects the diverse population of our borough.

The Young Mayor will work closely to determine public opinion amongst young people in Newham and assist not only councillors but also council officers with issues concerning them."