Find out about this year's participants
Biographies
John Adams is Cabinet Member for Housing at Gateshead Metropolitan Borough. Elected in 2014, he joined the Cabinet in July 2017.
John previously worked in the House of Commons and was a Special Advisor when Labour entered government in 1997.
He worked for a number of pressure groups and campaign groups, before joining the IPPR think-tank, where he wrote on devolution, regional economic policy, and labour market issues.
While at IPPR, he was responsible for creating the IPPR North think-tank in Newcastle and moved to Gateshead in 2005.
He retrained as a teacher in 2010 and works as a special needs teacher for children with autism.
Councillor Adilypour was first elected as a Lambeth councillor in 2014 and was re-elected for a second term in 2018. He has served in a number of roles since first being elected, including Deputy Chief Whip, Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing and Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
During his time on overview and scrutiny, Councillor Adilypour focused on public health and social care matters and developed an interest in policy areas such as sugar reduction strategies and gambling related harms.
He was appointed as Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care in March 2020 and hopes to use the knowledge he has developed to help drive policy change in the areas of both public health and social care.
Peymana Assad is a Labour councillor in the London Borough of Harrow, elected in 2018 making her the first person of Afghan origin elected to public office in the UK. She is the current Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion, Crime and Enforcement for Harrow Council.
In September 2020 she was announced as one of the 35 emerging leaders in Europe by the Obama Foundation.
Peymana has worked extensively across the charity sector on girls’ rights in the global south and sat on boards for British charities working with the then Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development on gender, peace and security across the Middle East and South/Central Asia.
She stood as a Labour parliamentary candidate in the 2019 General Election, making her the first person of Afghan origin to run in a national election for any major political party in the UK.
Elected to represent Caversham Ward in 2018, I have served as Vice-Chair and then Chair of Reading’s Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport Committee. I joined the front bench as Lead Councillor for Neighbourhoods and Communities this summer.
Since 2018 I have established Reading Borough Council’s Cleaner Air and Safer Transport Forum to work with community and campaign groups on initiatives to improve air quality and enable active travel and partnered with Ethical Reading to devise and launch Reading’s Ethical Recruitment Charter.
Outside politics, I am CEO of a local disability charity. My working life has included working my way up through MORI from telephone interviewer to senior research exec, and a period in fringe theatre in London funded by insecure work in hospitality and tourism.
Danny is currently Cabinet Member responsible for planning, regeneration, culture, inclusive economy and the London Borough of Camden Council's response to HS2.
He sits on the boards of the West End Project, Knowledge Quarter, Camden Town Unlimited (BID) and the Euston Strategic Board.
Danny oversees Camden’s £1.3 billion community investment programme into homes, schools and community facilities.
I am the Labour councillor for Ramsbottom in the borough of Bury in Greater Manchester.
I’ve enjoyed my first two and a half years in the role and the challenges it has presented. My commitment to the community and residents has never faltered. By drawing on my life experiences, personal and professional, I strive daily to improve the lives of residents by supporting those getting back into work and removing social isolation of our elderly community.
Although the role is very challenging it is not without its rewards; particularly focusing on work that ensures that the young people of Ramsbottom are able to work and live here and enjoy the wonderful surroundings.
I’m the portfolio holder for housing services and I am proud to be part of the team involved in the formalising of our housing strategy, reviewing the working plan and consultations with stakeholders and users for the regeneration of our six towns.
I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone, sharing our experiences and learning from each other to further improve our effectiveness as councillors and representatives for our towns and boroughs.
Jack has been a councillor in Basildon representing Pitsea North-West since May 2018.
Since May 2019 Jack has held Chair of Planning position as well as serving on Housing and Communities as well as Neighbourhoods and Public Spaces Committee. Since becoming a councillor, he has used his position to champion increased opportunities for young people and community safety.
Jack has spent the last decade as a community worker and leads on adult-education programmes that support individuals into employment. Jack has also volunteered on community projects internationally.
Councillor Becky Gittins is Deputy Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Coventry City Council. She has held this position since May 2019. She is a proud Labour and Cooperative councillor.
Professionally, Becky is an industrial officer for the Public and Commercial Services Union, bargaining mainly in the aviation sector and the Department for Transport.
Becky’s professional experience includes: a finance management trainee (ICAEW) at the University of Warwick, 2017-2019, and Democracy and Development Officer at Warwick Students’ Union, 2016/2017.
A Labour Party member since 2014, Becky has held many positions, including Chairperson of the University of Warwick Labour and Cooperative Society and Women’s Officer of Coventry South CLP.
Becky is a member of Unite and the GMB.
Michael Graham has been an elected member of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council since November 2017, representing Wakefield West. He serves as the Cabinet Member for resources and sits on the West Yorkshire Pension Fund Joint Advisory Group.
Wakefield is a district with a proud heritage and a bright future. Made up of many unique towns and villages, Wakefield is fast gaining a reputation as the creative heart of Yorkshire. Michael is proud to represent Wakefield and enjoys working with like-minded people in the community who want to make a difference.
Michael has a professional background in education and has worked as a teacher of science in schools across Merseyside, Lancashire and Yorkshire. He served as Assistant Headteacher at a large state-funded secondary school before being elected to local government.
He joined the Labour Party in 2013 and is an active campaigner. He currently serves as the Communications Officer for Wakefield Labour Group and as the LGBT Officer for Wakefield Constituency Labour Party.
Outside of education and politics, Michael has a keen interest in tennis, badminton and travel. He is passionate about ensuring that all young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are afforded opportunities to play sport and see the world.
Cllr Asma Islam has been a cabinet member in Tower Hamlets since 2020, initially as Cabinet Member for Environment and then moving on to an extended portfolio of Environment and Planning.
Since being elected in 2018, she has served as a mayoral advisor.
Asma’s background is in the voluntary and community sector where she worked in a women’s organisation, building capacity which provided skills and training for women going into work.
Asma also sits on London Councils' Transport and Environment committee and various boards such as the Tower Hamlets Homes board and the University Schools Trust.
Councillor for Shirley ward and Cabinet Member for Homes and Culture in Southampton.
A member of Arts Council England southwest and chair of ‘Southampton 2025’, a citywide steering group that is leading Southampton’s ambitious bid to become UK City of Culture 2025.
Within my housing role, I lead on the delivery of the Southampton’s 1000 council home programme, which will see 100 per cent affordable, quality and energy efficient new council homes delivered for local people.
I have a professional background in running a family business, national fundraising and international B2B publishing. Passionate about education and social mobility, I am a governor at Solent University, alongside Richard Taunton’s College and chair of governors for a local infant school, Maytree.
I have been a ward councillor for Stoke in Plymouth since 2018 and Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Plymouth City Council since May 2019.
I am a freelance writer and was a solicitor before pursuing a career as a journalist in regional newspapers.
After that, I spent nine years as a broadcast journalist at BBC South West.
I have 14 years’ experience as a school governor at a number of schools in my ward and am a trustee of homelessness charity Plymouth Access to Housing and a director of Exim Dance Company.
Alice is a Labour Party councillor in Southwark in London. Elected in 2018, in September 2020 she was appointed Cabinet Member for Equalities and Communities. Outside of her council work, she is Campaigns and Policy Director at Project Everyone, a not-for-profit founded by film maker Richard Curtis in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Her previous experience includes Head of Campaigns at Save the Children and Governance Adviser in the Rwandan Government. She worked at the Labour Party for over five years where her roles included Head of Research and Political Adviser to Rt Hon Harriet Harman MP.
She is a school governor, sits on the Council of Governors Guys and St Thomas Hospital Trust, is an advisory board member of the Labour Campaign for International Development. Alice holds a BA hons in modern languages and a Master’s in international studies and diplomacy.
Born in South Telford, Kelly Middleton became a councillor for the Woodside Ward at the 2019 local elections. Kelly is very passionate towards caring for others and was motivated to bring a positive change to the local community, inspiring her to become a councillor. During her time on the council, Kelly has held various positions including being a committee member of Licensing, Planning and Scrutiny and is currently Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board.
Outside of her council duties, Kelly previously worked as a Mental Health and Substance Misuse Worker for 11 years and has also volunteered for a local leading mental health charity known as Telford Mind becoming Chief Executive Officer after just four years. Kelly now continues her commitment and passion towards caring for others through her role as a Positive Engagement Project Manager for Maninplace whereby she currently runs two houses as part of their homelessness service, supporting individuals to break negative cycles of behaviours and build resilience.
More recently, Kelly has been an ambassador for the School Uniform Project within Telford and Wrekin for the last three years. The project aims to source donations for second-hand uniforms for families who are unable to afford new clothing each school year. The project has helped hundreds of struggling families by reusing good quality clothing which children have grown out of or no longer need and would otherwise end up in landfill. The project has continued to strive amidst the COVID-19 pandemic with various donation and collection pop-up shops set-up across the borough.
Anthony serves as a Labour councillor and the Cabinet Member responsible for Housing at the Royal Borough of Greenwich. As the borough’s strategic lead for housing, he holds the overall responsibility to establish plans and strategies to develop and manage council homes and tackle and prevent homelessness.
Alongside his role as a councillor, he works as a consultant in the built environment sector.
He holds a degree in civil engineering, while currently reading an MA in urban and regional planning.
He is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, and he aims to combine his appreciation of politics with his knowledge of the built environment. He enjoys pottery and documentaries.
My professional background is in housing, regeneration and construction having worked within both the public and the private sectors across Greater Manchester.
After holding many front-line roles in communities, I took the leap from local government officer into local politics. I re-joined the Labour Party in 2016 and was elected to Trafford Council in 2018. At the end of 2019 I took an executive position within the council for leisure and culture.
I balance the demands of political life with a young family and think local politics at its best reflects the lives of those it serves. I am keen to support the broadest range of people into local government.
It’s a very challenging time for communities and for local government. It’s important that you work effectively and transparently to reinforce trust.
Councillor Rajbir Singh has been Leader of Sandwell Council, at the heart of the Black Country, since May 2021. At 40, he is the authority’s youngest ever leader and has represented Bristnall ward in Oldbury since 2018. Before becoming leader, he was the council’s Cabinet Member for Employment and Skills.
Councillor Singh has a wealth of business experience working in the retail and marketing sectors – achieving a Masters in management and international business from Birmingham City University – establishing his own successful retail business and becoming a leading member of the Sikh community. Previously, he read economics at Punjabi University as an undergraduate.
His motivation for coming into politics is to play a part in supporting his community by listening and responding to their needs; being in a position to deliver change that improves people’s lives.
As council leader, his priorities are to support the residents and businesses of Sandwell as we recover from the effects of the pandemic with access to jobs and the right skills. He is driven by creating a fairer Sandwell where no resident is left behind and everyone can reach their full potential. Creating a cleaner, greener and safer Sandwell is also top of his priorities as leader.
Councillor Singh was born in Amritsar in Punjab and came to England in 2005. When he’s not spending time with his young family, he loves reading literature on history and politics and listening to Indian classical and folk music.
Cllr Walsh was first elected in May 2014 as a Labour and Cooperative Councillor for Rushey Green Ward, Lewisham.
Alongside his ward councillor role, James-J has undertaken a number of additional senior backbench scrutiny roles and currently serves as Chair of Planning and 'Evening & Night Time Economies champion'. Recently he helped develop an award-winning master plan for one of the largest mixed-use development sites in the UK based in his ward. One of his passions as a councillor is the ‘built environment and economic regeneration’ and how it can deliver a fairer more equal society.
In his professional career James-J has worked for national human rights & equalities organisations and education-based charities, primarily in ‘campaigning & influencing’ and organisational management and development roles.
Prior to election, and since, he has served on the boards of a number of charities including local voluntary sector groups and national organisations.
I am 43 years old, married to Kate and together we have four children. My father was a tool maker and mother a print finisher.
I left school at 17, seeking employment following my father’s death and eventually found my niche in computers. I learned to program and carved out a 20+ year career in software development, where I continue to work.
My politics were influenced at a young age by family members who were striking miners.
Since 2010 I’ve been very active in the Mansfield Labour Party, chairing my local branch and CLP IT Officer. I was narrowly elected in 2019 in a ward widely expected to turn blue and appointed to Cabinet with Portfolio for Corporate and Finance.
Your facilitators
Martin has been a political adviser in the LGA Labour Group for seven years. Prior to the LGA, he worked for the Labour Party for 17 years.
In the run up to the 1997 election he was the area organiser for Herefordshire and Worcestershire before moving to Labour’s head office. He was the party’s local government campaigns officer before being appointed as election strategy manager. He was head of the deputy Prime Minister’s tour for the 2001 General Election, the 2004 North East referendum on regional government and the 2005 General Election.
Martin also worked as a conference and events manager for the Labour Party. At the 2015 General Election, he took a secondment to work on Justine Miliband’s general election visits and events.
In 2016 Martin travelled to America to work on Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Martin was awarded an MBE for political service in the 2019 New Year’s Honours list.
Nan is an experienced trainer and facilitator, and has delivered workshops and training courses on a variety of subjects, including political development and leadership skills, both in the UK and abroad.
She is the Training Lead for Labour Women’s Network, whose long-standing training programme includes the Jo Cox Women in Leadership course. She has helped to prepare many MPs, councillors, and leaders for public office, as well as for other political leadership roles.
She has been a councillor in Leeds and a Labour Party organiser as well as the party’s Regional Director for Yorkshire & the Humber, a post she held until 2006.
Until 2018 she was the Director of the Centre for Women & Democracy working on women’s presence, power, and agency in politics in the UK and abroad.
Nan’s book, ‘The Women in the Room: Labour’s Forgotten History’, was published in 2018, and her new book, ‘Uncontrollable Women: Radicals, Reformers and Revolutionaries’, will be published in January 2022. Her website is at www.nansloane.com.