LOCAL ELECTIONS 2010: By the dozen, the pick of the polls successes - a look at the new faces in Town Hall
Published: 13 May
by RICHARD OSLEY
A CHANGING of the guard at the Town Hall following elections on Thursday sees a host of new faces sign up for four years on the council.
Well-known Liberal Democrats Janet Grauberg, Ralph Scott and James King all lost their seats as Labour bounced back. Familiar Conservatives Lulu Mitchell, Keith Sedgwick and Rebecca Hossack also failed at the polls.
Below, we give a rundown of 12 new faces to look out for at the Town Hall.
Other new faces elected are: Thomas Neumark (Labour, Camden Town and Primrose Hill), Michael Nicolades (Labour, Highgate) and Valerie Leach (Labour, Highgate).
WHO'S WHO - A look at the new faces
Awale Olad: Lab, Holborn and Covent Garden (Pictured top left)
Born in Somalia, Cllr Olad doesn’t fancy a grand “first Somali councillor” fuss. “I’ve been elected to represent everybody in my ward,” he said yesterday.
Georgia Gould: Lab, Kentish Town (Pictured top right)
Daughter of Lord Gould, Tony Blair’s private pollster, Cllr Gould – just 23 – fought a ferocious campaign in a key swing ward. Elected alongside running mates Meric Apak and Dave Horan.
Angela Mason: Lab, Cantelowes
Tipped as a potential deputy leader of the new Labour group, Cllr Mason is the former director of Stonewall, the gay and lesbian rights group. Elected in a split ward with another new face, Phil Jones.
Mike Katz: Lab, Kilburn
Loyal Labour supporter who has tried and failed before, Cllr Katz fought for Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children as a governor. Elected along with husband-and-wife team Thomas Gardiner and Maryam Eslandoust.
Milena Nuti: Lab, Bloomsbury
Cllr Nuti literally went into labour two days before the election. Her baby was born under a Labour government – just. She has worked as a lecturer at UCL and Birkbeck. Labour’s new councillor Adam Harrison also elected here.
Tulip Siddiq: Lab, Regent’s Park
Former leading light in Young Labour London, Cllr Siddiq worked in the central press office during the Labour national campaign, where she rubbed shoulders with Gordon Brown and a team of ministers.
Sarah Hayward: Lab, King’s Cross
One of the co-authors of the Labour local manifesto, public sector worker Sarah Hayward was a key strategist in the election campaign. She is vice-chairwoman of the constituency branch in Holborn and St Pancras.
Samata Khatoon: Lab, St Pancras and Somers Town
The former South Camden Community School pupil is a support worker in a children’s centre in Islington. She was elected alongside Roger Robinson – who got most votes in Camden – and Peter Brayshaw.
Larraine Revah: Lab, Gospel Oak
Housing department watch out! Cllr Revah, who lives on the Russell Nurseries estate and has worked on council housing campaigns, gets to change things from the inside. Theo Blackwell and Sean Birch also elected for Labour here.
Laura Trott: Con, Frognal (Pictured bottom left)
Highly regarded, Cllr Trott was ushered into the Conservatives’ safest ward. She works as chief of staff to MP Francis Maude – a key Tory player looking at local government spending when the party was in opposition.
Claire-Louise Leyland: Con, Belsize
Brought up in Cape Town, Cllr Leyland has worked as a therapist in this country for ten years and is a member of Conservative Party women’s groups. Elected in a split ward with Jonny Bucknell, who has had a stint on the council before.
Gillian Risso-Gill: Lib Dem, West Hampstead (Pictured bottom right)
Cllr Risso-Gill is the only new Lib Dem face – the other nine members were already councillors. During the campaign she said she wanted to add a “female perspective” to the challenges facing people in West Hampstead.