Hello my name is John Russell and I am the Greenwich & Lewisham candidate for the London Assembly elections in May 2012.
I have served as a councillor in Forest Hill ward for four years. During his time on the council I earned the respect of Lib Dem and non-Lib Dem councillors alike. I was chair the council’s Overview and Scrutiny committee for two years, and I served on the councils fostering panel for four years.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly, Caroline Pidgeon AM, commented on my selection: “I am delighted that John Russell has been selected to stand for the London Assembly in Greenwich and Lewisham. I have worked for many years with John, fighting for improved rail services for passengers in Forest Hill. I know what strong champion John is for young people and look forward to working closely with John in Greenwich and Lewisham standing up for improved public transport and strong local police teams.”
I am very pleased and honoured to be selected by local members as the Liberal Democrat candidate and I look forward to campaigning across the two boroughs over the coming months. I am brimming full of exciting local issues to campaign on to improve the lives of Lewisham and Greenwich residents. I am proud to be part of a very strong Liberal Democrat Team in London and having the opportunity to work alongside our Mayoral Candidate Brian Paddick and Caroline Pidgeon.
Some of the issues that I am passionate about are:
- More affordable housing: there are 300,000 families are on housing waiting lists in London
- Effective policing: we need to make sure our children are safe
- Clean Air: pollution is not just unpleasant it results in 4-8 k deaths per year
- Transport: we need improvements across the network and a fair and affordable charging system
- Adequate youth provision; and
- A strong voice for a better Lewisham and Greenwich: I am on your side listening and fighting for improvements for our communities.
Twitter: @john4london