• Keen Cyclist,
• Solicitor,
• Housing campaigner,
• Liberal Democrat Cabinet Member for Housing in Brent.

I have always believed that if there’s something you’re not happy about you need to do more than just complain. I’ve been brought up to get involved and take responsibility.

I’ve lived in Brent for 20 years and have had numerous opportunities to move somewhere else but always felt that the best place to live in London is right here. In London everything is possible. The diversity and the can-do attitude make London a very exciting place and if you believe in something you need to get involved.

I joined the SDP which later evolved as the Lib Dems. I joined the SDP because it broke the class mould of British Politics. It gave voice to social democracy and attempted to define the limits of state intervention in the lives of individuals and it attempted to articulate the possibilities of the welfare state.

It’s all been worth it, but I am particularly proud of being one of the people to change the way housing serves communities. My work has allowed property developers to develop mixed tenure housing schemes that mean poor people are not ghettoized and build new communities that will break the cycle of poverty.

My private life and my council life don’t have any distinct lines between them; they’re both part of one whole thing. I go to a lot of council functions and I like to take friends and family along, although I make a point of ensuring I see each of my five godchildren on their birthdays and at holidays.

My top tip for a new councillor is to talk, talk and talk to and listen, listen and listen to colleagues, the opposition, the officers and your residents. If you always remember the residents in your ward you will always do the right thing