More than 6,000 young people across the borough had their say at the Hackney Youth Parliament election.

Following months of writing manifestos, speaking at hustings and trying to convince class mates and those at local youth centres to vote for them, 28 young people aged 11-19 were chosen to represent the youth of Hackney.

But the real work begins now, and the new members of youth parliament are looking forward to a busy two years in office, working alongside staff from Young Hackney to make a difference for young people in the borough.

Florence Adeoye, 14, was elected to the North East neighbourhood. She said: “I worked really hard for this; it shows you get out what you put in. I’m excited but it’s not like ‘I’ve won! I’ve won!’ – I now have to do what I promised."

Lee Eastland, 16, who will now represent Stoke Newington, said: “Being elected means a lot; it shows when you work hard and you’re persistent, your hard work will pay off. 

“When people stereotype you, this gives you a chance to prove them wrong. The next step for me is to make the difference, to do what I said I’d do. You’ll find me in schools, in youth centres, doing sessions in youth clubs. I will be assertive, I will be loud, I will be there.”

Voting took place in schools and youth centres from 10-16 October and was open to anyone aged 11-19 who lives or goes to school in the borough. The turnout was nearly double that of the last election in 2010.

Cllr Rita Krishna, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “This was the highest turn out yet and just goes to show how tuned in young people in Hackney are and how much they care about where they live.

“The new members of Hackney Youth Parliament have got some great ideas and are all really passionate. I’m looking forward to working with them and I’m sure they’ll achieve a great deal for young people in the borough."

The results were announced in the council chamber on 17 October, following a Q&A with the Mayor of Hackney Jules Pipe at a special event to mark Local Democracy Week.

The 28 new members of youth parliament will represent the four neighbourhood areas of the borough, feeding back young peoples’ thoughts and ideas to local decision makers including the police and the council but also on a national level and even global level.

The previous members were involved in designing the new Young Hackney centres, helped to shape police ‘stop and search’ policy, were members of the council’s scrutiny committee and also arranged fun events around the borough.

Former member Rebecca Samuel was at the count. She said: "I'm proud to see the next generation of Hackney Youth Parliament aspire to such success."

Elected members by neighbourhood:

Homerton: Emanuel Alonge, Javani Brown, Shaniah Burns, Kenya McKenzie, Kennedy Nwosu, Ryanna Ryan, Teswane Stephen

North East: Florence Adeoye, Anna-Marie Descartes-Thomas, Abde Hadjimi, Roxanna Matoorah, Buki Osofisan, Cherry Smith, Kaylise Vassell

Shoreditch: Halema Begum, Vera Boateng, Dylan Ferner-Rose, Amari Glenn, Ife Grillo, Liam Joseph-Beckles, Pius Davies Yeboah

Stoke Newington: Zafar Alibhai, Harry Dixon, Lee Eastland, Mariam Haji, Billie Myers, Nadia Priebe, Rwby Tucker