Following the May local elections, Beverley Brewer was re-elected as a Labour councillor for South Woodford, alongside three other Labour councillors in Churchfields
Firstly, I want to thank everyone who participated in the local elections in May. In South Woodford, we had a record turnout; it is good to see people involved in local democracy. It is an honour to be elected to represent South Woodford, my home area, for the third time. I look forward to continuing to work with local residents, businesses and organisations to help improve our area.
I also want to thank everyone who supported me in my role as Mayor of Redbridge over the last 12 months, not least Joe Hehir, who was a fantastic Deputy Mayor and local ward councillor. He will be a hard act to follow. I am proud that we were able to raise £37,000 for my selected charities: Redbridge Foodbank, the Friday Evening Swimming Group and the Catholic Fellowship Disability Network.
I was pleased one of my first actions after the election was to respond positively to the consultation to re-designate the South Woodford Society as our local Neighbourhood Forum. I’m also pleased to hear that the vital work on South Woodford Library is on target for completion by September.
I will be doing all I can to ensure the manifesto promises I made during the campaign will be delivered by the council across Redbridge, including:
- £5.5m to upgrade CCTV and ANPR cameras to fight antisocial behaviour.
- New recycling wheelie bins for everyone.
- Opening up green spaces along the Roding.
- Creating 5,000 new apprenticeships and jobs for local young people.
- Instituting a 10-by-10 guarantee, ensuring every child in the borough achieves 10 key milestones by the age of 10.
- Building a new SEND-specific play space.
- £35m to further transform our local road networks and pavements, continuing to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike.
- Setting a target to cut violence against women and girls in half by 2034.
- And yes, Broadmead Road bridge must and will be rebuilt.
I will also work in close partnership with Calvin Bailey MP to ensure the government continues to improve its funding for our area. All South Woodford ward residents are very welcome to email me if there are council-related issues I can help with. And I will continue to hold surgeries on the second Wednesday of the month (except August) from 6pm to 7pm at The Salvation Army on Daisy Road.
For more information on local councillors, visit swvg.co.uk/cllrs
