It’s a huge privilege to have been elected to serve the people of Barnet and Camden, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of this large and diverse constituency that stretches from the edges of Roman London all the way to the fields of Hertfordshire.
Within a few weeks of being elected to the Assembly, I have already heard from 100s of residents, community groups and places of worship. I’ve picked up a lot of casework, undertaken site visits, asked questions of the mayor, and met with the Friends of the Welsh Harp and those most impacted by HS2.
I’ve already conducted a walk down Kilburn High Road with my Brent and Harrow colleague Krupesh Hirani to talk about plans to improve the area. I’ve raised with TfL the issue of Step-Free access at West Hampstead Tube Station. And there is plenty more to do. It’s been great to dive into the role, and pick up from where Andrew Dismore left off.
Much of this three-year term is going to be spent focussing on how we recover from Covid. In particular, with more people working from home, there are real opportunities for local businesses to thrive.
I visited the visionary Belsize Village Streatery, which is an inspiring model of how to rejuvenate town centres. I want to see our local high streets revived alongside the arts sector, which is key to London’s wider recovery. Bringing tourists and "staycationers" back to into our city benefits local businesses, pubs, restaurants and of course our important cultural institutions.
Finally, but in some ways most importantly, I have been given a very important responsibility in leading the Labour delegation on the London Assembly Fire Resilience and Emergency Response Committee. As many of you will already know, working with those who have been affected by the cladding and building defect scandal is very close to my heart. I hope to use my platform to put pressure on the government to end this injustice. It’s no coincidence that my first question to Sadiq Khan was on this. There will be many more.
Anne Clarke is the member of the London Assembly for Barnet and Camden, and a Barnet councillor for Childs Hill.
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