There will be seven candidates standing in an upcoming Greenwich by-election following the resignation of a Labour councillor. Ivis Williams had been a councillor for seven years when she announced her resignation on May 8.
She has since confirmed in a Greenwich Wire article and on X that she quit her role after being threatened with a six-week suspension for speaking out against the disposal of the Greenwich Equestrian Centre and the sale of a bungalow which a community centre had hoped to take over.
Following her resignation, a by-election will be held in Shooters Hill on Thursday, June 26 to decide which of the seven candidates will replace her as borough councillor. Paul Banks is the Reform UK candidate. His party has described him as “a lifelong borough resident” who is “sociable, courteous, and unbiased”.
A local party spokesperson said: “He joined Reform UK, passionately believing it’s the only party truly representing UK citizens. Standing as a candidate, he aims to give locals a real chance to vote for meaningful change and a brighter future.”
Jummy Dawodu will be standing for The Labour Party. According to a campaign poster, if elected she will focus on repairing roads and fixing potholes, making streets safer by combatting crime and anti-social behaviour, as well as tackling fly-tipping to keep Shooters Hill clean.
Green candidate Tamasin Rhymes has been officially endorsed by the outgoing councillor Ivis WIlliams. A Shooters Hill resident for 17 years, Tamasin hopes to provide her ward with “a strong independent voice to protect its interests and concerns”.
She said: “It is vital to protect our community facilities, which need security of tenure, and not to have bits of it sold off piece by piece. To deal with anti-social behaviour and knife crime we desperately need more safe spaces and youth centres for our young people. The Cubs and Scouts, who provide exactly this, need a secure home and the property at Shrewsbury House, which the council agreed to sell off, would be a potential venue.”
Tamasin also promised that if elected, she would work on getting the council to engage with the community more on environmental issues, tackling shoplifting in Herbert Road, cracking down on fly tipping and building more social housing in Greenwich.
The party chair of the Greenwich Liberal Democrats will stand for the party in the Shooters Hill by-election. Kirstie Shedden has lived in the ward for nearly 30 years, with the Lib Dems promising she would be “a great local champion” if elected.
Kirstie said: “Labour has taken voters for granted in Shooters Hill. Selling off precious open land and buildings that could be used for community use without consultation shows that Labour isn’t listening to residents.
“The callous disposal of Green Garth, part of the Shrewsbury House listed estate and the Equestrian Centre, our Olympic legacy, without consultation shows that Labour isn’t listening to residents in our local neighbourhood.”
Arnold Tarling and Nazia Tingay are the two independents standing in the Shooters Hill by-election. Arnold previously stood as an independent in Eltham and Chislehurst during the 2024 General Election as well as in the Eltham Town & AVery Hull ward during a by-election last October.
Arnold runs a Facebook page called We Love Eltham on which he documents his work planting greenery in public spaces and cleaning up street infrastructure throughout Eltham. Nazia, who says she has lived in Greenwich for over two decades, is standing on a pro-Palestine ticket with promises to “fight against racism and division in our community” and “listen to constituents on issues that matter to them”.
On a campaign poster she said: “Shooters Hill deserves a fully committed councillor who is here to stay and who is ready to listen and support the community on the issues that affect us all. From threats to NHS services to the over development of community and green spaces, I believe Shooters Hill needs an informed, ethical, independent voice speaking up on issues.”
Conservative candidate Tim Waters is standing “to give a voice to the residents of Shooters Hill and to stand up for them where previously they have been ignored”.
He said: “This Labour Council refuses to listen to its residents or take their concerns seriously, whether it is about selling off community assets or displacing congested traffic onto the boundary roads of an unwanted LTN, they are consistently ignoring what the majority of people want.”
This weekend there will be two hustings events ahead of the by-elections. These forums will give Shooters Hill residents the chance to question the candidates on topical local issues. These are taking place at 1pm on Saturday, June 14 at Shrewsbury House and at 4pm on Sunday, June 15 at Barnfield Hub.
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