Cllrs Sheila Chapman and Flora Williamson join Islington Council’s Executive

Cllr Sheila Chapman is appointed as Executive Member for Equalities, Communities and Inclusion. She has been a councillor for Junction Ward since 2018 and served as Chair of the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee.  Cllr Chapman also has a great amount of experience working with the voluntary sector. Cllr Flora Williamson is appointed as Executive Member for Health and Social Care. As Chair of the Policy and Performance Committee, she has led scrutiny and direction of how the council approaches the funding challenges facing local government.  She also has wide experience of campaigning, including for health charities, and has been a councillor for Tollington Ward since 2014.  Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Leader of Islington Council, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Cllr Chapman and Cllr Williamson to the Executive. 

“Both have a very wide and deep range of experience of council leadership and campaigning and we look forward to working alongside them to create a more equal Islington for all. 

“I’d also like to personally thank Cllrs Khondoker and Turan for their years of excellent service on the Executive.” 

There are also some changes to responsibilities within the Executive. 

Cllr Una O’Halloran, Executive Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods, takes on new build planning, bringing it together with housing maintenance to ensure a single focus on housing finances and ensuring Islington’s housing stock is the best it can be.  

This allows Cllr Diarmaid Ward, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Finance and Performance to focus on the difficult tasks of ensuring the financial stability of the council, after years of central government underfunding, and that council services are delivering the best possible experience for residents.  

Cllr Santiago Bell-Bradford has led Islington’s pioneering work on Community Wealth Building, where the borough has become one of the national leaders in this area, creating a fairer and more equal economy for local people.  

The next stage of this work is incorporating Islington's rich, diverse cultural sector, which is now in his portfolio as Executive Member for Inclusive Economy, Culture and Jobs. 

Cllr John Woolf, Executive Member for Community Safety, is taking on night-time sector responsibility in the Community Safety portfolio. At a time when it is a topic of conversation across London, Cllr Woolf can bring this together with licensing to ensure Islington has a thriving, safe and exciting night time economy.