Now that the General Election is done, and we’ve had our by-election here in the ward too, I thought I would do a quick post to introduce my new colleague, Liz Cronin, who joins me as the other councillor in Forest Gate North.

We had only a few weeks to campaign but we spoke to hundreds of people on the doorstep, and door knocked almost the entire ward with just us and a trusty band of a few volunteers. Nevertheless, I thought an intro post might be useful, and wanted to start with a few ‘getting to know you’ questions.

What motivated you to stand to be a councillor?

When I first moved to Newham, mid-pandemic, I was bowled over by the sheer strength of community. People have been so welcoming; I really wanted to give back and work hard to improve people’s lives – especially those who often feel frustrated with politics! I absolutely love Forest Gate, so it’s a privilege to have been elected and have the chance use my experience (in the civil service, Parliament and now the charity sector) to serve local residents.


What do you do outside of local government?

I’m the climate change policy lead at CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. This involves working to help some of the world’s poorest countries, and a lot of advocacy aimed at the UK Government to up its ambition on climate action. Outside of work you can find me in coffee shops and pubs with friends, and I love the theatre. (I just saw Hades Town – can highly recommend!)

Why did you join Labour?

I grew up in a blood-red household in Preston, so Labour’s always been part of my DNA really. I left my impartial policy adviser job in the civil service partly because I was feeling too political for it, and once I joined the party I never looked back. I fundamentally believe that we can achieve much more collectively than we can striving on our own, and that society needs fundamental changes to address its inequalities – so the Labour and trade unionism families are ones I’m proud to be part of.


What is your favourite thing about Forest Gate?

It’s a toss-up between the book stall at Woodgrange Market, and the cinnamon buns at Ramble.

How was the election campaign?

Very tiring (I definitely got my steps in). But ultimately a brilliant experience – me and the team spoke to nearly a thousand people, which gave me a great sense of what people are bothered by – but also proud of – in Forest Gate North. I’m really proud of the positive campaign we ran, focused on making our area the best it can be and showcasing our fantastic local people and organisations.


What do you plan to get involved in first, and what are your local priorities?

I’ve started speaking to council officers and my fellow councillors about what power and levers I have to make a real difference here. I’m under no illusions that local government can’t be overly bureaucratic and slow sometimes, so I want to get to grips straight away with the best ways to navigate procedures and processes to get things done. After that I want to start making some of the changes that most impact the lives of the residents I’ve spoken to: feeling safe from anti-social behaviour day and night, having cleaner streets, and a thriving high street.