Month: March 2007

Breakfast with Ruth

Heather Jameson from the Municipal Journal opens the councillors' breakfast meeting

Myself and Councillor Afzal Akram, from neighbouring Lea Bridge ward, attended a breakfast meeting with Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (pictured above left) and Dame Jane Roberts, former Leader of the London Borough of Camden (pictured above right), yesterday, to feed into the new Commission the Secretary of State has set up – being chaired by Dame Roberts – to look at ways of encouraging a more diverse range of people into becoming local councillors. Continue reading “Breakfast with Ruth”

Planting a Tree for Freedom

Local politicians and activists gather to watch Mrs Zena Edmund-Charles plant her tree

Thank you to the fantastic Leyton and Leytonstone Historical Society (LLHS) for organising a really lovely service, earlier this week, to plant a tree commemorating the two hundredth anniversary of the abolition of Britain’s slave trade.

Local MP Harry Cohen (pictured above centre) joined Cllr Milton Martin (pictured directly left of me) and I, alongside local members of the society to take part in the occasion. Continue reading “Planting a Tree for Freedom”

‘Place Shaping’ the role of a front-line councillor

With fellow speakers Cllr Dave Winskill and Cllr Claire Denham

I had a great time participating in the Local Government Association’s (LGA) annual ‘Improvement Conference’, up in Nottingham, earlier this week.

Myself and fellow local councillors Dave Winskill (pictured left) from the London Borough of Haringey, and Claire Denman (pictured right) from Crawley Borough Council, were asked to talk about the role of the “front line” councillor (e.g, a ward level local councillor as opposed to a councillor in the Cabinet) and our role in “Place Shaping”, which is all about councillors helping the shape the places and communities they serve Continue reading “‘Place Shaping’ the role of a front-line councillor”