Who are the new members of the London Assembly? UK News

There will be 12 new members of the London Assembly this term after the conclusion of the GLA elections this weekend.

Although none of the 14 constituency seats changed hands between parties, seven of the members of the Assembly holding those seats withdrew or resigned ahead of the elections, with new candidates taking their places.

There were also five new Assembly members elected to the London seats who will join re-elected Sian Berry, Caroline Pidgeon, Caroline Russell, Shaun Bailey, Andrew Boff and Susan Hall.

The following new Constituency Assembly members join returning MPs Tony Devenish, Onkar Sahota, Keith Prince, Len Duvall, Leonie Cooper, Joanne McCartney and Unmesh Desai:

Marina Ahmad – Lambeth and Southwark – Work

As Florence Eshalomi resigned from the London Assembly ahead of the election to focus on her MP duties, Marina Ahmad was chosen to run in the constituency of Lambeth & Southwark.

Prior to being chosen to run as a member of the Assembly, Ms Ahmad was a councilor representing the Crystal Palace district of Bromley Council where she was her party’s spokesperson for education.

Ms Ahmad has already spoken about the controversial Silvertown Tunnel project, saying last year via social media that she would ask the mayor of London to ‘take a break and review’ the project if she is elected to the Assembly.

Anne Clarke – Barnet & Camden – Work

Anne Clarke, born in the United States, was chosen to replace Andrew Dismore, who retired before the election.

Ms Clarke has been a councilor since 2018, representing the Child’s Hill neighborhood on Barnet’s council.

Prior to becoming a counselor, Ms. Clarke campaigned on several local issues and is one of the founders of the Child’s Hill Food Bank.

The new assembly member pledged to work with TfL to ensure more accessible travel and to expand the Mayor’s tree planting program in Barnet and Camden.

Peter Fortune – Bexley & Bromley – Conservative

Joining the London Assembly as the new deputy leader of the Town Hall Conservative Group is Peter Fortune, who will replace MP Gareth Bacon.

An advisor to Bromley for 10 years, Mr. Fortune has served as Deputy Leader since 2017 and has overseen the Children, Education and Families portfolio since 2015.

Mr Fortune pledged to fight any development attempts on London’s green belt and said he would “urge” TfL to improve bus services in Bexley and Bromley.

Neil Garratt – Croydon & Sutton – Conservative

Sutton Councilor Neil Garratt will succeed retired Steve O’Connell to represent the constituency of Croydon & Sutton at the London Assembly.

Housing was at the center of Mr Garratt’s campaign, and he was committed to saving family-sized homes in the boroughs and fighting the development of small one- and two-bedroom apartments.

Mr Garratt also said he was “determined” to get answers to the fatal Croydon Streetcar crash in 2016 that killed seven people, so that “the deepest issues are addressed, not ignored”.

Krupesh Hirani – Brent & Harrow – Work

Brent’s advisor since 2010, Krupesh Hirani was chosen to succeed Navin Shah, who retired before the election.

Mr Hirani said his ‘immediate priority’ would be employment and recovery in London after the Covid-19 pandemic, although he has also vowed to conduct an audit to ensure an adequate police presence in Brent and Harrow .

Pledging to be a “champion for young people” during his campaign, Mr. Hirani also said he would set up a youth steering group to give them a voice in town hall and enable them to bring their problems to the Mayor of London.

Sem Moema – North-East – Work

Hackney councilor Sem Moema was chosen to replace Jennette Arnold, who retired before the election after serving in the assembly for 21 years and in the North East constituency for 17 years.

Now representing Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest, Ms. Moema is committed to championing migrant communities and working to improve tenants’ rights.

Ms Moema said the London Assembly should help councils build social housing, in part by maximizing funding and freeing excess GLA land.

Nicholas Rogers – South West – Conservative

Following the retirement of Tony Arbor, who had occupied the South West constituency since the formation of the Assembly, Nicholas Rogers was chosen to run for the seat by the Conservatives.

Unlike the other newly elected Constituency Assembly members, Mr. Rogers did not come from the council, having been a special agent of the Metropolitan Police as well as a career railwayman.

The new Coven is also the founder of TedxKingstonUponThames, a Ted Talks-style event series that provides a platform for locals.

Former TfL employee, Mr. Rogers is keen to challenge Sadiq Khan on transport and called for the