Here is my second blog
Delivering change for
Lewisham
Delivering change for
Lewisham
Lewisham is a fantastic place to live. Our strength is our people and they are the way we overcome our challenges.
After 14 years of Tory austerity, Lewisham is facing hardships like never before. The Tories are more interested in tax cuts for millionaires than helping with the cost of food and heating. Years of Tory misrule has left our housing unaffordable, our school children hungry and our people cold in their homes.
We can change the way we respond here in Lewisham. Yes, we need more funding. Yes, we need a Labour Government in Westminster. But there is much more we can do right now, and now with new leadership for the country, change is coming.
I’ve had hundreds of conversations with people across our community. What I’ve heard is deep loyalty to our borough, and a real pride in our ability to come together and be the change that we all need. I brought together a taskforce from across the borough to respond to the Cost of Living crisis, harnessing expertise to support our most vulnerable residents. I changed the way the Council uses technology so we can better respond to each crisis as soon as it happens. I fed children in schools and still kept the council’s finances stable during difficult times. Now we need more of that energy, focus and innovation at the Town Hall. We need to be ready to get to the head of the queue for infrastructure investment when the Labour government comes. Our people will help us with that opportunity - but we need the innovation, determination and leadership to start that right change now. My offer is to lead that change in Lewisham.
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My Story
My story is the story of a Labour family. Here in Lewisham, so many families, just like mine, have arrived from elsewhere and woven their histories into the story of our borough.
I am the only child of a single mother, the first of my family to go to university and the only one to ever to be elected into public office.
My family settled in London a century ago after fleeing persecution in Ukraine. My great-grandfather sold socks from a handcart to provide for his family while putting down roots in this country. In the sixties, my Mum became the first female shop steward in her trade union, successfully challenging her employer for the right to wear trousers at work. As a young Londoner, I was a part of Red Wedge and a community of Labour activists through the 80s.