Shreya Nanda becomes Islington’s newest Councillor after a by-election victory in Hillrise Ward

Voters in Hillrise ward in north Islington, elected Shreya Nanda as their new Councillor at a by-election on Thursday 15th August. The by-election saw a 4-way contest between Labour, Green, Liberal Democrat and an independent. Standing for Labour, Shreya secured almost twice the votes of the nearest candidate.

In her acceptance speech Shreya praised “the huge difference that a Labour council can make, from fixing our broken housing market, to working with community police to make our spaces safe, to investing in community centres, and supporting the most vulnerable people in our community.

“I’ve spoken to hundreds of people in Hillrise over the course of this election, who have taken the time to tell me about the problems that they face, from crime and antisocial problems in the area, to cramped and overcrowded housing. As your local councillor, I promise I will do everything I can to be an active presence in the community and work with my fellow Labour councillors to tackle these issues.”

Unexpectedly, the Lib Dem candidate pushed the Greens into 4th place. However, in the absence of a Conservative candidate, the Lib Dems may have picked-up some Tory votes. Hillrise ward had also been represented by Lib Dems between 2000 to 2014. By contrast, the Green party considers itself to be the main challenger to Labour in Islington North but fell short in Hillrise.

Cally Councillor, Paul Convery said “we’re delighted that Shreya has been elected very convincingly in a by-election that was unusually held in mid-August. The contest had become quite tightly focused on the qualities and personalities of the candidates and Shreya personally convinced the hundreds of Hillrise voters that she spoke to. She is going to make her mark on the Council very quickly, especially on the planning committee where Shreya will be strongly backing our goal to have delivered over 3,000 genuinely affordable homes in the next 2 years.”

The Islington Council by-election official result can be read here.