During his inaugural address in the town hall, new Waltham Forest Council leader Paul Perkins said that “all residents’ interests would matter” to the new administration, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
The Green Party is now officially in charge of Waltham Forest Council after its new leader was sworn in.
Councillor Paul Perkins was elected leader at an annual council meeting held last night (21st May).
As part of the Greens’ rotating leadership model, the role will alternate between Cllr Perkins and deputy leader Councillor Eva Tabbasam, who served as party co-leader, on a yearly basis.
During his inaugural address in the town hall, Cllr Perkins said that all residents’ interests would matter “despite different priorities” among areas such as Walthamstow, Leyton and Chingford.
He said the Green-led council would work to “reclaim the future of this borough” and residents would be “brought into” how public money was spent.
“Change has happened,” he told the town hall.
“Thousands of residents across the borough decided they wanted something different. A different kind of politics [and] a different relationship with the town hall.”
He continued: “We will not get everything right. We’ll make mistakes, there’ll be difficult choices, and moments when we fall short of people’s expectations.”
The new leader called for his fellow members to work together in holding the authority to account but stressed that years of underfunding could not be undone overnight.
A further priority would be bringing “urgency” to the council’s ongoing quest to divest from companies linked to the arms trade.
Many of the Greens’ speeches focused on the high cost of living in London and a desire to redesign adult social care.
The new administration will be responsible for setting council budgets, making planning decisions, supporting local businesses, maintaining parks, running libraries and managing bin collections.
The annual meeting also saw the Greens’ first mayor elected, councillor Marcelo Hart-Camus, whose two chosen charities are Elop, an LGBT mental health group, and Waltham Forest Migrant Action.
Green councillor Demetrius Williams said during his nomination of Cllr Hart-Camus that the borough was “at the beginning of change”.
The mayoralty is a largely symbolic role. Over the next year, Cllr Hart-Camus’ job will be to act as an apolitical ambassador and ‘first citizen’ of the borough, chairing full council meetings and meeting with visiting dignitaries.
The full list of cabinet members sworn in at yesterday’s meeting are:
Housing and Regeneration: Councillor Eva Tabbasam, climate and air quality: Councillor Sarah Bently, Inclusive Economy: Councillor Chanté Johnson, Finance and Resources: Councillor Em Dean, Community Safety: Councillor Charlotte Lafferty, Children and Young People: Councillor Daisy Richards, adults and health: Councillor Martin Edobor, communities and libraries: Councillor Paul Treacy, culture, sports and communication: Councillor Anna Rose Kerr.
The Greens won control of the authority in the May local elections, securing 31 seats out of 60.
Labour’s grasp on the borough was shaken loose after 14 years and the local group lost a total of 29 seats. The 15 councillors left standing now form the official opposition, headed by new leader Councillor Kizzy Gardiner.
The 31 Greens are the first of the party’s councillors elected to the town hall and it will be their first time running Waltham Forest Council.
Labour’s Cllr Gardiner, who previously served as the cabinet member for children under ex-leader Grace Williams, said her group would work with all groups.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service ahead of the meeting: “We have passed the baton to the new Green administration, and even though we are no longer leading the council, we will continue to work hard and speak up to ensure the right decisions are made.
“We will work with the new administration in the best interests of all residents, and we will stand up for our communities and make our concerns clear whenever we feel this Green leadership is not acting in the best interests of our borough.”
She told the town hall last night the Labour benches had a cumulative 150 years’ experience and the new administration “had a lot to learn”.
The Conservatives gained four seats in the local election, bringing their total to 14. Councillor Emma Best retained her role as group leader, but no longer serves as the leader of the opposition.
She told her Labour cohorts their poor performance was a “vote on you locally”.
She also pushed for a return to free parking – a controversial issue in the Tory stronghold of Chingford – which she said would make some “very happy Conservatives” in the town hall.
The Greens also wrestled Hackney Council from Labour in what proved to be a bruising night nationally for Sir Keir Starmer’s party.
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