What got you interested in working in Barking and Dagenham?
I and my family have long-standing links with the borough going back some 80 years or so. The borough is therefore in my DNA and I am extremely grateful for all it has done for me and my family over that period in particular in terms of housing, education and social care. The borough has always been vibrant and innovative with a strong ethos of community. Never have those qualities been of such importance in recent times than over the last 16-18 month during the pandemic. As we all turn to the hope and prospect of recovery, it would be an honour to help the borough fulfil its true potential going forward.
What challenges do you think you might face in this role?
The key wider strategic challenge is to help ensure the borough rebuilds its confidence post-Covid and recognises its potential. At a more detailed level, the borough will need to be assessing the merits of potential investments when there will be so many worthy ventures and initiatives.
What are your hopes for the borough?
The borough’s future is in the hands of the community and it has the potential to reach for the stars as part of the post-Covid recovery. The ambition is to generate investment in sustainable projects and initiatives that will serve not only this generation of residents but also those in the future.
How do you think the community can help achieve those goals?
The community is integral to realising that ambition as it has the vision, imagination, skills and drive to generate real and lasting change for the borough.
