Making our voices heard

It is vital that our voices are heard so that we – the Black and other minority ethnic (BME) community – can begin to influence the political agenda in a meaningful way. This is the reason why I want to participate in the BAME Women’s Councillor Shadowing Scheme.

I attended the Induction Seminar and the Media Launch at the House of Commons. I enjoyed the contributions from all the speakers; however, I was particularly inspired by Dawn Butler’s MP speech.

The launch

The Launch also provided a great opportunity to meet and network with other like-minded women. After leaving the launch, I travelled home on the 159 bus with Keith Hill MP for Streatham and Judy Best (a fellow Shadow). Judy is a Liberal Democrat, however, I won’t hold that against her! We discussed the Labour Party, the current economic climate and the forthcoming election. Keith also shared a few anecdotes about his time as Parliamentary Secretary to former Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

Meeting my Mentor

I have been paired with Councillor Lib Peck and we met recently for “a getting to know you chat”. Lib is one of three Labour Councillors who represent Thornton Ward on Lambeth Council. She is also the Cabinet Member for the Environment and Culture, and is responsible for Housing in her Ward.

I had hoped to Shadow a councillor with an interest in Public Health, as that is my area of interest. However, on reflection I have a limited knowledge of the issues facing our community with regard to housing and this will be a good opportunity to learn about the challenges in this area.

Lib and I had a good discussion about the scheme and my other interests. I explained I was very keen to gain insight and understanding of the Councillors role. Furthermore, I hoped to increase my knowledge of exactly how the Council operates.

Following my meeting with Lib I was introduced to Denise Hayden Hawkins, who looks after the Councillors’ Diary. I was presented with a very long list of meetings that I could attend. These include Labour Group Meetings, Cabinet and Scrutiny, as well as Rent Setting Meetings. Given the current financial climate, the rent setting meetings will be particularly interesting. I also feel that this is such an interesting time to get involved with politics, particularly as the local and general elections will be taking place next year.

My introduction to life as a Councillor will be when I attend the forthcoming Housing Scrutiny meeting. I am feeling a bit worried about the time commitment as I have just been offered a full-time job with a local organisation. However, I will learn a great deal and will do my best to attend as many meetings as possible.