Camden’s deputy mayor has become the 7th councillor this year to defect to the Greens. Lorna Russell made the switch from Labour citing the ‘broken promises’ of her previous party.
Writing to residents of Fortune Green she said: “My principles and core values of social justice, equality and environmentalism have not changed, but I have found myself in a party that has changed a lot. I am proud to now represent a party that believes in building a truly fairer society and protecting the planet for future generations.”
Labour still remain in charge of Camden council, but the Greens now have two seats in the cabinet.
Russell said the move puts her in a better position to speak out about local issues such social housing, traffic and major developments such as the O2 Centre. Outside her work for the council she works as a political consultant with a focus on the education sector.
In her Twitter biog, Russell describes herself as a vegetarian and feminist who likes to tweet about politics, cats and Maria Carey. It’s not clear if Russell will give up her position of Deputy Mayor. It’s usually the case that the Deputy will take on full Mayor duties.