London Labour Party

The London Assembly scrutinises and holds to account the Mayor of London.

There are 25 London Assembly members, 14 representing constituencies which cover two or three London Boroughs and the rest representing London at-large to better reflect the votes cast in the election.

Labour has eight London Assembly members, six representing constituencies and two representing London at-large.

Jennette Arnold AM

Constituency: North East (Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest)

Jennette Arnold was elected to the Greater London Authority in 2000 and in 2008 was elected as Chair of the London Assembly. She chaired the Mayor’s Cultural Strategy, which contained the Mayor’s pledge to bring the 2012 Olympic Games to London. She also chaired the London Health Commission and campaigned successfully for national legislation to ensure a smoke-free London.

Jennette’s other political offices include membership of the Metropolitan Police Authority and the UK delegation on the EU Committee of the Regions. 

In April 2008 Jennette was appointed by the Prime Minister as a Governor on the Board of the Museum of London.

She is currently a council member of the Royal Court Theatre and Governor of Sadler’s Wells Theatre Foundation. She is patron of the Victoria Climbie Foundation and former Chair of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. 

Jennette’s first career was in nursing, subsequently becoming a Senior Officer of the Royal College of Nursing. Her first elected position was in 1992 as a local councillor in Islington. 

This year Jennette was listed in the top 50 of Britain's most powerful black women, published by New Nation and among the Evening Standard’s list of the 1000 most influential Londoners. 

Jennette was born in Montserrat, West Indies. Her extended family lives there and in the UK. 

GLA and related responsibilities

• Chair of the London Assembly (2008/09), Deputy Chair of the London Assembly (2009/10)
• Chair of the Business Management and Administration Committee
• Member of the Transport Committee
• Member of the Metropolitan Police Authority
• Member of the Museum of London Board of Governors
• Board Member of the Liaison Committee of Age Concern London
• Trustee of the Sadlers Wells Theatre Foundation
• London Delegate to the Committee of the Regions, European Union
• Member of the Arts Council, England
• Co-founder of the London Black Women Council

Contact details: GLA, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA

Telephone: 020 7983 4349. Fax: 020 7983 5879. Email: jennette.arnold@london.gov.uk

John Biggs AM

Constituency: City and East

Elected on 4 May 2000

Re-elected on 10 June 2004

Re-elected on 1 May 2008 

Now in his third term as Assembly Member for City and East London, John is a former leader of Tower Hamlets. A Graduate of Chemistry, Computer Science and of Law, John previously worked as an analyst in the City and as Director of a political pressure group. He leads on Budget and Health for the Labour Group on the London Assembly and represents the Assembly on the London Health Commission.

He has a keen interest in regeneration and has played a major role in the Thames Gateway project.  He was previously Vice Chair of the London Development Agency and Deputy Chairman of the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation.  

GLA responsibilities

• Chair of Budget Committee and Budget Monitoring Committee
• Member of Business Management and Appointments Committee
• Member of the Metropolitian Police Authority
• Member of Economic Development, Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee
• Labour Group Whip
• Deputy Chair Labour Group

Other Roles:

• London Assembly Representative on the London Health Commission
• Member of Leaside Regeneration Board
• Chair of Docks Management Advisory Group

Special Interests:

Transport, Equalities, Health, Regeneration, developing the Thames Gateway, the London Labour Market, Constitutional Reform. 

Contact Details: GLA, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA

Telephone: 020 7983 4350. Email: john.biggs@london.gov.uk 

Len Duvall AM

Constituency: Greenwich and Lewisham
Elected on 4 May 2000

After leaving school, Len began a career in Local Government, occupying various positions within leisure services corporate management and direct labour organisation. During this time he became involved in the Trade Union movement, gaining extensive experience as a Shop Steward and Branch Secretary.  

Len has been a member of the Labour Party for 29 years; holding various positions at ward and constituency level. In 1990, he was elected as a Councillor within the London Borough of Greenwich and became Deputy Leader in the same year. He was elected Leader in 1992, a post he held until his resignation in April 2001 following his election as the Assembly Member for Greenwich and Lewisham on the newly formed London Assembly.   

Len was re-elected to the London Assembly in 2004 and 2008 and has been been Leader of the Labour Group since 2004. During his time as an AM, he has held the post of Metropolitan Police Authority Chairman and has been Chairman of the Greater London Labour Party since November 2002. 

In 1998 Len was awarded the OBE in recognition of his contribution to London Local Government and Thames Gateway.

GLA responsibilities

• Leader of the Labour Group
• Member of the Business Management and Appointments Committee
• Deputy Chair of the Economic Development, Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee
• Member of the Standards Committee
• Former Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority  (2004-2008)
• Former Vice-Chair of the London Development Agency (2000  - 2002)
• Former Chair of the London Health Commission (2002  - 2004)

Private Interests

• Chair of the Greater London Labour Party
• Non-executive Director of Tilfen Land, a property development company
• Non-Executive Director of the Royal Artillery Museums Trust.
• Undertaking some work on behalf of the Improvement & Development Agency

Contact Details: GLA, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA

Telephone: 020 7983 4517. Email: Len.duvall@london.gov.uk 

Nicky Gavron AM

Constituency: Londonwide

Nicky Gavron has been at the forefront of developing land-use, transport and environmental policies for London for over two decades.  

She was elected as a Labour councillor in 1986 and as a London Assembly member from 2000 onwards. Throughout the 90’s, she was the leader of the London Planning Advisory Committee (LPAC) where she commissioned research and formulated policies for the development of a sustainable London, including the initial strategy on congestion charging. She was heavily involved in shaping what was to become the new strategic authority for London. 

With its establishment in 2000, Nicky became the first statutory Deputy Mayor of London. In this role, she worked closely with Mayor Ken Livingstone to set up the GLA’s working processes and policy framework. In particular, she led on shaping the London Plan - the first long-term strategic plan for London (and its subsequent review). In her first term she also established the GLA Children and Young People’s Unit and the Hydrogen Partnership. 

Re-appointed as Deputy Mayor from 2004 until May 2008, she became responsible for leading London’s response to climate change, introducing a set of groundbreaking policies and strategies to reduce C02 emissions covering waste, water, energy and transport. These are brought together in the revised London Plan and the Climate Change Action Plan. Initiatives include the establishment of the London Climate Change Agency, the Better Buildings Partnership and the C40 Large Cities Leadership Group - forty of the world’s largest cities collaborating to cut carbon emissions.  

In 2006, Business Week Magazine cited her, along with Ken Livingstone, as one of the twenty most important people in the world in the battle against greenhouse gas emissions. The magazine said that "[she aims] to turn London into a model of a sustainable future for all the world's great cities." 

Nicky was re-elected as a London Assembly member in May 2008. Following the change in administration, she is now Deputy Chair of the London Assembly Planning and Housing Committee.  

Contact details: GLA, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA

Telephone: 020 7983 4509. Email: Nicky.Gavron@london.gov.uk 

Joanne McCartney AM

Constituency: Enfield and Haringey

Re-elected on 1 May 2008

Joanne was elected as the London Assembly Member for Enfield and Haringey in June 2004 and re-elected in 2008.

Enfield and Haringey are a vibrant and diverse mix of over 500,000 residents. As the local Assembly Member Joanne is proud to actively promote and celebrate this diversity and ensure the voice of local people is heard where it matters most.

From 2004-2008, Joanne was Chair of the London Assembly Health and Public Services Committee and led investigations into a number of issues which are important to Londoners including: the decline of London’s public toilets; breast cancer screening; the future of the Post Office Network, mental health and Thames Water.

Before being elected to the London Assembly Joanne was a Councillor in Enfield between 1998-2006. She was Chair of Enfield's Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and formerly a Director of Millfield Community Theatre in Edmonton.

Prior to her entry into politics Joanne practised as a barrister and undertook work as an adjudicator for the Housing Ombudsman.  

GLA responsibilities

• Member of the Transport Committee
• Member of the Metropolitan Police Authority

Other roles

• Congress of Europe - Substitute Member

Key issues and concerns

• Policing and community safety
• Health and public services
• Children and young people
• Jobs, skills and economic development
• Keeping London moving
• A greener and environmentally friendly London

Contact details: GLA, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA.

Tel: 020 7983 4402. Fax: 020 7983 5679. Email: joanne.mccartney@london.gov.uk

Murad Qureshi AM

Constituency: Londonwide

Before becoming an Assembly Member, Murad worked in housing and regeneration for 15 years. His biggest achievement during this time was to help establish ethnic housing associations in London's east end in response to their chronic housing needs.

Murad was elected a member of Westminster Council in 1998 to represent Church Street ward. He was a member of the Westminster Labour Group, which revealed and pursued the “Homes for votes” scandal during the Shirley Porter era and long afterwards which subsequently lead to her successful prosecution.

Murad entered local politics through his family involvement (both his father and sister are Westminster Councillors) to represent the neighbourhoods he grew up in on issues like transport and environment.  Following his election to the London Assembly in 2004 Murad stood down as a Councillor in 2006.  He was re-elected to the Assembly in 2008.

Murad is an avid sports fan, with particular interest in football and cricket, which he still plays for local pub teams. Not surprisingly, he is looking forward with interest to London hosting the Olympics in 2012.

GLA responsibilities

• Chair of the Environment Committee
• Member of the Standards Committee
• Member of the Budget and Performance Committee 
• Member of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority
• GLA representative on the Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee (HACC)
• Chair of the London Waterways Commission

Key issues and concerns

• Transport, giving Londoners a variety of travel options and value for money.
• Environment, improving Londoners' quality of life, for example improving our air quality whilst also reducing our carbon footprint.
• Housing, giving all Londoners a decent standard of living with affordable accommodation and listening to their concerns as leaseholders, tenants and share-owners.
• Sports, their contribution to the cultural and civic life of London.
• Equality issues across all these major concerns for Londoners.

Contact details: City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA.

Telephone: 020 7983 4400. E-mail: murad.qureshi@london.gov.uk

Website: http://www.muradqureshi.com Blog: http://blog.muradqureshi.com

Navin Shah AM

Constituency: Brent and Harrow

An architect by profession, Navin came to the UK as a University College London scholar in 1973. Working as an Architect and Development Planner in private practice, Navin joined the Labour party in 1977 after becoming involved in Community Action groups in Brent and Harrow.

Elected as a Harrow Councillor for Kenton East Ward in 1994, Navin was the Leader of Harrow Council between 2004 and 2006, and remains the Harrow Labour Group Leader until the end of June 2008.

He is a founder member and trustee of the Harrow Anti-Racist Alliance, a member of the Ethnic Minority Taskforce and a Governor of Glebe School. In 2006, he received an Asian Achievers Award. 

A member of the Co-Operative Society and the Fabian Society, Navin remains especially interested in community cohesion and planning, regeneration and housing. He lives in Harrow with his wife Rekha, also a Harrow councillor and his two grown-up children. In his spare time, Navin enjoys art, music, travel and photography.

Contact Details: GLA, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA

Telephone: 020 7983 4876. Email: Navin.shah@london.gov.uk

Valerie Shawcross AM

Constituency: Lambeth and Southwark

• GLA responsibilities
• Chair of the Transport Committee 
• Member of the Budget Committee
• Member of the Confirmation Hearings Committee 
• Member of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority

Previous life experience

Val was elected as Lambeth and Southwark's representative on the London Assembly in 2000. She lives in Upper Norwood, SE19, and has been a south London resident and advocate for over 20 years. 

She has worked for the Inner London Education Authority, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and as Head of Public Affairs for the National Federation of Women's Institutes. And she has also been the Labour Party's National Women's Officer.

Between 1994 and 2000 Val was a councillor on the London Borough of Croydon, serving as Chair of the Education Committee (1995-1997), Deputy Leader (1996-1997) and Leader (1997-2000).

Val has a degree in Politics from Liverpool University and a  Masters Degree in Education from the London Institute.

In 2002 she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Between 2000 and 2008 Val was Chair of the London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority, which runs London's Fire Brigade. Several national roles arose from this work, including being a member of the Fire Minister's Sounding Board on Fire Service Modernisaton.

Val is now the Labour Group Spokesperson on London Transport. 

Contact details: GLA, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA. 

Telephone: 020 7983 4371. Email: valerie.shawcross@london.gov.uk  

Website: www.valshawcross.com