Local residents of Lewisham who are members of the Labour Party have selected Brenda Dacres to be Labour’s candidate in the by-election being held for Mayor of Lewisham on 7th March. Brenda who is currently Deputy Mayor of Lewisham and Councillor in Deptford Ward has served the borough for a decade in public service.
Councillor Dacres said on her selection:
“I was made in Lewisham. My parents came to Britain from Jamaica as part of the Windrush Generation and worked hard to build a good life for my family. Still, I know how tough it can be to get by. A job that pays a decent wage or a proper home are still out of reach for too many in our community. As a single mother, I’ve lived these issues. Through my time in our Labour Party, I’ve also lived the solutions.
“I’m standing to be a different kind of Mayor. More open, accessible and accountable than ever. My decade of experience as a councillor, cabinet member and Deputy Mayor has taught me that it’s never good enough to take ‘no’ for an answer. I’ll always fight Tory attacks to our budget, but I won’t hide behind them. Cuts should never be an excuse to talk down the potential of our borough.”
Brenda’s Priorities
A home every resident can be proud of
Developers must be held to account for building quality, affordable homes and accessible community infrastructure. I’ll also get our social homes up to scratch, and work with renters to drive out rogue landlords for good.
Exceptional opportunities for our children
I’ll continue to battle creeping academisation, build on our amazing work to keep the Lewisham family of schools operating at the highest level and tackle inequalities faced by Black and Asian children, and those with additional needs. I’ll also work with our schools and colleges to unlock new work experience opportunities to get our children on the right path sooner.
Urgent action on the climate crisis
Without rapid intervention, climate change will soon be the biggest driver of inequality around the world. It’s no longer enough to just protect our green spaces; we must protect the people of Lewisham by making ours the greenest council in London.
An open, prosperous Lewisham
Lewisham is a gateway to central London, but it should be far easier for local people to find jobs closer to home. I’ll throw open the doors to investment and push for the Bakerloo line to extend to Lewisham, Catford and beyond to unlock vital investment into the borough.
The most accessible council in London
I will get the council out of the town hall and into every corner of our communities. I’ll start by listening to residents and reintroducing the face to face services they’ve repeatedly asked us for.