Wandsworth Unveils New 'Policy Champions'
Councillors tasked with devising new initiatives to improve the lives of residents
Wandsworth's new Policy Champions from left to right (top row) Councillors Tiller, Jafri, Mayorcas and Davies. Second row Councillors Varatharaj, Colclough, Dobres and Osborn. Picture: Wandsworth Council
The AGM of Wandsworth Council will see the appointment of a team of ‘Policy Champions’. These are councillors deemed to have a particular set of skills in various policy areas who will be tasked to devise initiatives to improve residents’ day-to-day lives.
Council leader Simon Hogg has unveiled the team which will support the borough’s cabinet of leading members.
These new Policy Champions will raise awareness of their specific roles and responsibilities, engage with stakeholders, promote formal consultations, research viability of innovative ideas and evaluate relevant work in other boroughs, as well as provide support to the work of their cabinet member.
The majority are set to be officially appointed to their positions at the council’s Annual General Meeting on 24 May. Two are set to be formally appointed in July. The champions are:
• Refugees Champion – Sarmila Varatharaj, who will support the Cabinet Member for Business, Voluntary Services and Culture.
• Clean Air Champion– Jamie Colclough, who will support the Cabinet Member for the Environment.
• Community Safety Champion– Lizzy Dobres who will support the Cabinet Member for Health.
• Active Travel Champion – Jack Mayorcas, who will support the Cabinet Member for the Environment.
• Tenants Champion– Matthew Tiller who will support the Cabinet Member for Housing.
• Equalities Champion – Sana Jafri who will support the Cabinet Member for Business, Voluntary Services and Culture.
• Families Champion - Sarah Davies who will support the Cabinet Member for Children
• History Champion – Rex Osborn who will support the Cabinet Member for Business, Voluntary Services and Culture
Councillors Davies and Osborn are expected to be formally appointed in July.
Councillor Hogg said: ““We are creating a fairer, compassionate and more sustainable council which supports and protects our most vulnerable residents, strengthens local communities and improves the lives of local people, all for the same low council tax.
“I’m delighted to confirm the Policy Champions for Wandsworth. They will be working alongside cabinet colleagues in delivering real and positive change for the people of this borough. They will bring additional knowledge, experience and expertise to the forefront of everything we do to improve the daily lives of our residents.”
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |