Hackney Green Party has proudly welcomed councillor Soraya Adejare to sit with the Green Group at Hackney council’s annual budget meeting. It marked a powerful moment for progressive politics in the borough.

Adejare has previously served as the Speaker of Hackney. She’s worked for Hackney residents for more than a decade. During that time, she’s built a reputation as a fearless advocate for working-class communities, social and private housing tenants and those too often ignored by the political establishment.

Adejare grew up in Hackney and lives in social housing. She has long used her position to challenge injustice. And she ensures residents’ voices get heard at the highest levels of decision-making.

Adejare said in the council chamber as she crossed the floor:

It is troubling for me, having sat in this chamber for 12 years, and over the past decade making repeated calls for more funding, and recognising the damage that the Conservatives’ fiscal approach did to our borough. That being said, the approach of the current government does not meet our needs, irrespective of the pots of funding it provides for us.

I have a 12 year old daughter who has seen no material benefits throughout her lifetime, and that’s likely to continue as we’re encouraged to make increasing cuts.

Supporting the ongoing approach to the budget is totally unacceptable to me and I think it does a disservice to many people in our community, inclusive of many families like mine.

I’d like to thank colleagues who supported me through an incredibly difficult time, amidst a kind of institutional racism I experienced within the [Labour] Party. Likewise, the few that approached me subsequent to the death of my mother.

I will be walking across the chamber and supporting the Greens.

Green councillor and Green Group co-leader Zoë Garbett said:

Tonight we are so proud to welcome Soraya to join the Hackney Green Party. Her move to join the Green Group sends a clear message: Hackney residents deserve representatives who will stand up for their communities, not simply follow party lines.

Soraya has the respect of residents for her bold advocacy. She fights for residents who deserve decent and affordable housing, youth services, and against racist policing. We look forward to fighting for the people of Hackney together.

The Hackney Green Group warmly welcomes councillor Adejare and looks forward to working with her to deliver on the issues that matter most to residents: tackling the housing crisis, protecting public services and ensuring the borough’s politics reflects the communities it serves.

Featured image via Hackney Green Party

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