Penny was elected to represent Victoria Ward in a by-election in 2018.  Since then she has been busy helping residents sort out problems ranging from homelessness to road safety and  planning objections, plus all sorts in between.  She gets satisfaction from helping people to help themselves, putting them in touch with support groups or services they didn’t know about previously.  Drawing on her work experience as a journalist and lecturer, she is a natural communicator who enjoys getting people together to work out solutions. She lives in her ward and understands the problems residents face, particularly when it comes to keeping families together in an area where the cost of housing for sale or rent has rocketed. 

She is a strong advocate of council housing, and one of her first actions as a councillor was to coordinate a celebration and exhibition to mark 100 years of Hackney building council homes.  Penny takes green issues seriously.  Her family recently gave up their car, though she admits they’re finding the transition tough.  She lives with her husband and grown-up daughter, who is proudly Hackney born.  Penny is an approachable, hard-working representative for her community and for the Labour Party, which she believes offers the best route to a fairer, more equitable society.