Along with Nilgun Canver and David Browne, I’m one of the three Labour Party candidates for St. Ann’s Ward.


This profile gives:

● A bit about my background and experience

● What I’m doing now

● The reasons I’d like to serve on the Council and what I hope to achieve.

About Me

I was born and grew up in Hackney, first in Clapton then in Stamford Hill – just across the Hackney border. I was one of the first members of my family to go to university and as I was eighteen in 1968 it was doubly special. I studied politics, philosophy and economics and then I got my teaching qualification.

In 1971 I got a scholarship to work on an inner city summer camp in Boston Massachussets and after a year back in London where I worked for a voluntary organisation in Stepney, I returned to the USA.

I spent my twenties living in Boston – an amazing experience for me. I worked first as a community worker in one of the most deprived housing estates on the east coast where I was actively involved in local campaigns for welfare rights, and housing advocacy. I then worked as a community organiser for the Massachusetts State Office for Children. I organised a neighbourhood and community board which had a state mandate to advocate and campaign for children’s services. I worked with local residents and agencies to build consensus on key local issues and we were very successful in our campaigns for change and improvements. Working from a local shop front office I led a campaign which brought over $3m to our communities

This was in the seventies – at the height of the push for civil rights and community engagement in the U.S.A. Community development was inspired by Saul Alinsky and the work he did in Chicago to fight for improved services and conditions for local people. He’s been one of my heroes since then!

I’ve lived in Tottenham since 1981 when I came back to London – then a single parent with a toddler. My daughter went to Haringey schools.

I worked in the voluntary sector. One enormously satisfying job involved developing and running a voluntary agency for children and adults with learning difficulties. It’s still running successfully.

In 1987 I applied for Head of Haringey’s Play Service which was nationally advertised. I was appointed and worked for Haringey Council until 2007. I later became Head of the Early Years and Play Service. I led Haringey’s trailblazer Sure Start programme and am proud that we started developing Children’s Centres long before they became national policy! Then I became of Neighbourhood Management working to build community engagement and participation across our many communities.

From all my community experience here and in the USA – I’ve learned that working together with people is vital to build judgment and confidence and a culture of partnership. Also, that it’s essential to have ambition for change and improvement.

The Present

Now I work part-time in another borough. I’ve also become a magistrate – an ambition I’ve had for several years. This has given me added insight to what is happening in our society and made even clearer the need for change.

Before working for Haringey I chaired my daughter’s primary school governing body. For the past year I’ve been a governor of Rowland Hill Children’s Centre.

Dealing with the Council as a resident – rather than as an officer – has taught me some important lessons. I understand much more why people sometimes get frustrated and even angry when things take a long time to happen or when they feel they are not listened to. But even the best staff can’t work well when systems let them down or when there are really limited resources available.

Because I know how local government works (or doesn’t), if I’m elected I believe I have a lot to contribute – both as a ward councillor for St Ann’s and across Haringey.

People ask me which issues are important. I don’t know many that aren’t important to some of our residents. Going round knocking on doors I’ve met people wanting to talk about an A-Z of issues. Afghanistan to parking zones, And from parks to planning.

For some residents the top issue is their kids’ education and future. Others are worried about their elderly parents. We need to continue working to improve our social services for children, families and adults, understanding that anyone can face difficulties and we need as a public body to be able to respond and support people.

Many residents in St Ann’s want the Council to do a better job tackling street dumping and general environmental decay. They are quite right. We need to continue trying to educate people and change their behaviour, and alongside this be ready to enforce and prosecute offenders.

The proliferation of betting shops is destroying our high roads, causing debt, addiction and undermining our communities. It needs to be stopped and I’m delighted that the Labour manifesto includes a commitment to begin this. We need to bring back regulation and controls.

I care deeply about local issues. My own experience makes me passionate about housing – especially overcrowding and homelessness. I want to see the new Council effectively using all its powers to deal with slum landlords and to be ready to campaign for new legislation to tackle them.

The Government’s changes to licensing homes in multiple occupation can give fresh impetus. For a long time I’ve thought we need a dedicated team to work on this issue including a full-time lawyer, specialist enforcement officers, private sector housing experts and outreach workers to communicate with tenants. I’ll be suggesting this to my colleagues if we win.

We should also be investing in building homes to house more families properly. Having a decent and stable home is vital in reducing health inequalities and improving people’s quality of life. And we need to carry on improving Council properties. In St. Ann’s ward some estates have already benefitted from the Decent Homes programme and I will work to make sure all the estates across the ward are improved.

I want to see further improvements in our schools - from early years through to secondary and FE. We will have to fight for funding for Haringey to provide the health, housing, social and children’s services for everyone living here. The fair funding campaign for our schools is a start – it is simply wrong that a borough like Haringey receives less money per child than Hackney, Camden or Islington. The Council is the borough’s biggest employer and we need to be creative and resourceful in recruiting apprentices and young people through the current government job programmes. Training young people in enforcement and environmental health jobs for example where they can rally develop useful and interesting careers.

More than ever, with public spending cuts apparently inevitable, it’s vital that we have good political leadership. We face very big challenges to retain public services and we will need to be very determined and clear about what we do to sustain them for local people.

We are publically accountable for services. But more and more frequently, councils nationally don’t deliver those services directly –they are commissioned through tendering and market competition. This wouldn’t be my personal choice but currently this is the way it is!

So, we will need to be very good and intelligent clients, making sure services which are commissioned really do reflect local needs. We must have very clear and strong systems for monitoring providers/contractors–whether they are removing rubbish and dumping, filling in potholes or delivering home care to make sure our money is well spent. Residents’ experiences and expectations should set the agenda.

I also believe strongly that we need a political culture which is far more open and transparent. And where we really do work with local people and always make sure we are outward looking, welcoming creative ideas and fresh thinking. I know we won’t always agree, and it is naïve to think everyone can have exactly what they want, but having an open culture means welcoming debate, challenge and discussion to shape ideas and ambitions for our neighbourhoods. We must do this and work with people if we are to build any community consensus and way forward.

Zena Brabazon

Labour Party Candidate, St. Ann’s Ward