I was heartened with the number of Havering residents who exercised their democratic right by voting in the recent London Mayoral Elections. Havering, as well as the rest of London, saw a voter turn out of around 45 per cent.  In our borough this was up by almost ten per cent compared with previous Mayoral Elections.

The focus of any election day is to get people out voting, regardless of who they’re voting for. The high turn out in Havering is evidence of the borough’s strong sense of community responsibility and I’m proud of our residents.

It has been inspiring to see how much Havering residents care about greater London. The London Mayor and London Assembly make decisions about things that affect us all.

The Mayor makes plans with a London-wide view. That means he needs to think about how his decisions will affect everyone in the area, from those in the west to us here in Havering. Havering Council had a positive relationship with the previous mayor and I look forward to working closely with Mayor Johnson on the issues that matter to Havering. I will be talking to him soon about the key issues of transport, housing, crime and regeneration in Havering.

Not only do you have a chance to exercise your democratic right at election times, but also on a day-to-day basis by interacting with the Council. Residents are invited to attend Council, Cabinet and area committee meetings and have their say on consultations and plans.

I hope that residents will continue to keep up the interest in local politics by playing an active part in creating a really positive future for Havering.