Luke has been a hard working local councillor for Chatham Ward since 2002. He is the Chief Whip of Hackney's Labour Group of Councillors and has twice stood for Parliament.
He has lived in Hackney for nine years with his partner Linda. They have a toddler son. He works as a Director of the UKs largest public relations company and is a member of the Unite/Amicus trade
union. He is a school governor.
His main priorities as a councillor have been to improve the quality of life on local estates and to tackle crime and Anti-Social Behaviour and improve security for residents. He has taken up
casework on housing, parking, council tax and benefits for hundreds of local residents.
Why did you become a Councillor?
I wanted to be part of the effort to change Hackney from the failing council it had been in the 1990s, which was letting down local people. If you care about the area you live
in it is important to get involved in civic life. I've always been involved in the Labour Party and two of my great grandparents had been councillors so I knew what it involved and had been brought
up to believe in public service and putting something back into the community.
What are the biggest issues in your area?
Reducing crime and Anti-Social Behaviour. Getting a new secondary school opened on the Morning Lane site. Improving existing social housing and getting new affordable homes. Sorting out the chaotic
parking situation around Homerton Hospital.
What's the best and worst thing about being a Councillor?
Best - Making things happen for constituents, like when I helped get new security doors for the Nisbet House and Trelawney Estates and got Stevens Avenue re-surfaced and properly lit.
Worst - it can take a long time and a lot of patience to change things.
What's the best thing about living in Hackney?
The parks and green spaces - I have a toddler who loves the swings, one o'clock club and summer paddling pool at Clissold Park. The area shows that people from a wide range of different cultures
can live together harmoniously.
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