Local residents pack the public galleries at AGM

Local residents crammed into the public galleries at Hammersmith Town Hall on Monday, June 16 to see
the council's new team formally take over, including leader Cllr Stephen Cowan and our new Mayor, Cllr Mercy Umeh.

At a meeting which was sometimes rancorous and at other times emotional, Cllr Cowan praised local campaigners from Sulivan Primary School in Fulham, Shepherd's Bush Market, Sands End, West Kensington and Gibbs Green Estates and the Save Our Hospitals campaign, fighting against NHS cuts in local hospitals - all of who were out in force at the meeting - and promised the new council would work with local people in future.

The new team is as follows:

Cllr Mike Cartwright, who has been a councillor since 1992 and is also a Justice of the Peace at Hammersmith Magistrates’ Court, has been named Deputy Leader.

Other Cabinet positions include:

Cllr Max Schmid, Member for Finance, is a chartered accountant and formerly worked at a leading Big Four finance firm.
Cllr Sue Macmillan, Member for Children and Education, is a commercial director for a leading parenting advice website.
Cllr Andrew Jones, Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, is a university professor in London, specialising in the economy, environmental studies and urban regeneration.
Cllr Sue Fennimore, Member for Social Inclusion, is a governor of two local schools and volunteers for the Hammersmith Winter Night Shelter for the homeless. She has volunteered for the Youth Offending Service, working on restorative justice with young people who have become involved in the judicial system.
Cllr Vivienne Lukey, Member for Health and Adult Social Care, was a hospital social worker and social services manager for 30 years. She is Chair of Hammersmith and Fulham Mind, the mental health charity.
Cllr Wesley Harcourt, Member for Community Safety, Environment and Resident Services, works at a charity that provides support to legal advice centres, and is also a trustee of the local Citizens Advice Bureau.
Cllr Lisa Homan, Member for Housing, is a trustee of the local Citizens Advice Bureau and was a school governor for 13 years.

New Mayor, Cllr Mercy Umeh has lived in Shepherds Bush Green for 38 years and managed her own café in Shepherds Bush Market for 14 years.

Cllr Ali Hashem is the new Deputy Mayor. He grew up and still lives in North End Ward. He is a management consultant and community organiser and leads a voluntary team which won the Faith Forum for London Hope and Peace Prize for pioneering work in social enterprise.

A full list of Policy and Accountability Committees Chairs and other positions is included in the AGM Agenda.

June 17, 2014