*I believe that voting Independent in the local elections on 7th May can encourage grass-roots democracy and engagement with local communities.

Full statement

I have lived in Churchfields for 25 years and both my children attended Churchfields and Woodbridge schools. I work for a trade union and, until national Labour removed Faiza Shaheen as its candidate in 2024, I had been chair of the local Labour Party branch for ten years. I now chair Chingford & Woodford Green Community Independents, a group committed to community-led politics that benefits residents, not political parties. Among other issues, I‘ve campaigned for progress on the new hospital desperately needed at Whipps Cross. I sit on the board of trustees of two charities - The Friends of Redbridge Music School, which supports the music education of 11,000 children in the borough, and Show Racism the Red Card, a national charity that educates against racism in schools and workplaces.
I am one of three Chingford & Woodford Green Community Independents standing in Churchfields, alongside Rita Mahli and Jillian Ghose.

As a group we have pledged that, if elected, we will:

1. Push for the repair and re-opening of Broadmead Road bridge. It's continued closure costs residents time and money, as well as bringing a host of problems including road rage, poor air quality and more potholes! We pledge to prioritise getting this vital local artery open again. If a Labour council, under a Labour mayor and a Labour government can’t find a way to fix it, what use are they?
2. Improve local facilities for young and old alike. Redbridge council has ignored residents when there have been opportunities to create community facilities locally, such as on the old Pavilion site in Elmhurst Gardens. We will work with local community groups to progress plans for sites like these and campaign for funding for them to become a reality.
3. Hold to account those running failing services for children and adults in Redbridge. OFSTED say the borough’s services for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities ‘need urgent reform’. The Care and Quality Commission (CQC) called adult social care provision in Redbridge ‘inadequate’. We pledge to get those running these services to answer directly to our community and push for the changes need to improve them.
4. Call out the delays in replacing Whipps Cross Hospital. Our hospital is falling apart and now won’t be replaced for at least ten more years. We pledge to campaign for the new Whipps Cross our community so desperately needs now.
5. Push for the re-opening of South Woodford Library and gym. The deadline for its re-opening has long passed with no sign of progress. We pledge to push for answers on the library & gym’s future and to advocate for their survival.