Ahead of the London City Hall elections on 2nd May, the Echo takes a look at the candidates running to represent Waltham Forest on the London Assembly. First up is Labour incumbent Sem Moema
Sem Moema was elected as Hackney Downs councillor in 2016, and became the London Assembly member for Islington, Hackney and Waltham Forest (North East) in 2021. She is fighting for re-election on 2nd May.
Speaking exclusively to the Echo, Sem outlined why she believes she is the best candidate for the job. “I think it’s important in a place in London that we have strong representation. We need politicians who aren’t afraid to be held to account, who will listen to constituents and businesses and advocate for their beliefs at City Hall.
Sem continued: “The mandate of the Mayor is huge, but with that comes the responsibility for someone like me to hold him to account. I very proudly stand on the same manifesto as Sadiq Khan but it’s my job to hold his feet to the fire to make sure those policy proposals happen. If we want to see the best changes for people, I need to be in the room to make sure they happen.”
Read a breakdown of her policy proposals below:
Housing:
- As a seasoned housing campaigner, I welcomed Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s investment in council housing this year. I will work with him to fund genuinely affordable council homes, extend private renters’ rights and improve conditions in social housing.
- I want to increase home-building capacity in local government, so that councils can build their own council homes.
- I would persuade landlords to offer longer tenancies, so people can feel secure in their homes.
Police/Crime:
This story is published by Waltham Forest Echo, Waltham Forest's free monthly newspaper and free news website. We are a not-for-profit publication, published by a small social enterprise. We have no rich backers and rely on the support of our readers. Donate or become a supporter.
- The police have lost £1billion in the last 14 years which is not small change. They’ve been decimated by austerity. I am dedicated to rebuilding police infrastructure, like ensuring there are more public-facing police desks.
- The Metropolitan Police needs to be more representative but there must also be a culture change. It’s unfair to expect diverse police officers to do the work to change the Met’s culture; that’s up to everyone in the Met.
Environment:
- We need to back away from this [Conservative] attempt to make ULEZ into a culture war. It’s a good thing that we are trying to improve the air quality in London. The argument that Sadiq Khan is a monster who is taking away people’s cars and is banning them from coming into London is complete nonsense.
- I support the scrappage scheme, and I will help anyone with accessing it.
- Local authorities within and outside London need to work together to campaign for better scrappage and for a clean air zone that extends outside London’s boundaries.
Transport
- I will stand up for protecting bus routes serving North East London, including frequency of buses.
- I will push for multi-year government funding settlements for Transport for London.
- Train capacity needs to increase in line with new homes. That’s why I would push to re-open the disused line from Chingford to Stratford.
- I will work hard for fully step-free stations across our network, for staff to have the time and resources to help wheelchair users at stations where rolling off trains is not possible, for lifts that are brought back into service quickly when they break and, when stations are temporarily wheelchair-inaccessible, for an app with reliable information about viable, alternative routes.
Find out more about Sem here
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
