Backbench councillors give their views on ward issues in our regular comment series
Cllr Rhiannon Eglin
Earlier this year, I was elected as a local councillor for the first time to represent my neighbourhood of Leyton. I was driven to apply because of how important community is to me, which is why I’m so proud of the fantastic community initiatives my ward has seen throughout this year. What many people might not realise is that some of these projects were made possible by grants from the council’s community card funding scheme.
Previous projects funded in Leyton through this scheme include the East London Shakespeare Festival – which staged Twelfth Night in Leyton Jubilee Park this summer – and Aso Oke Cultural Weaving, celebrating the Yoruban heritage of some of our local residents. As someone who runs community groups and events myself, I know that they can often need support to get off the ground so to have this pool of funding available for hyper-local projects is great. I’d encourage anyone to apply in the future if you have an idea that will provide joy, skills and opportunities for your neighbourhood.
My day job is working as a teacher, which nourishes my love for learning and there is definitely a lot to learn within my new role as a councillor! I was assigned to sit on the council’s pension committee and have learned a lot about investments since being elected in May. I’m proud to have sat on this committee as Waltham Forest became the first council to stop investing its pension fund directly in fossil fuels – something that is vital to protect the environment for future generations.
Protecting the environment is another hugely important goal for me as a councillor, especially having grown up in the borough and had the amazing Epping Forest at my doorstep. It wasn’t until I settled in the area as an adult that I properly reflected on, and truly appreciated, what I had growing up.
The council is rolling out a number of new initiatives to try to cut the borough’s emissions down to net-zero and I want to do everything I can to support these in my area. One of the council’s key aims is to help residents save money by sharing, repairing and reusing items where they can and I am looking forward to working with Leyton residents: gathering their views and ideas around creating opportunities to recycle and reuse. As a teacher, I am especially interested in hearing from young people and I have already had a request from a five-year-old resident for more water refilling stations, which I thought was a fantastic idea!
I’m always very happy to hear from residents so please get in touch with me: [email protected]
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