Mischa Borris - Hackney's Green Councillor 2006-2010

Mischa Borris was elected to Hackney Council representing Clissold ward in 2006. She had been the Green Party's candidate for Hackney North at the 2005 General Election. She introduced two motions to Hackney Council, one on making Hackney a Fair Trade borough and the second on introducing a default 20mph speed limit across Hackney's roads. Both were passed.

She regularly raised questions at Council, questioning the Labour administration on subjects as diverse as the illegal demolition of the old Vortex jazz club, the lack of progress on installing cavity wall insulation to Hackney's blocks of flats, and admission charges to Hackney's leisure centres for school groups. She also repeatedly urged the Council to disinvest its pension fund from its considerable holdings in arms manufacturing companies. One of her first questions to the Mayor, shortly after she was elected, was to ask if Hackney would sign up to the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change. The reply was that there was no point in signing a meaningless bit of paper - yet Hackney did eventually sign up early in 2008!

She proposed Budget amendments to Labour's annual budgets, putting forward a green perspective including measures to increase training, youth and recycling facilities in the borough and curb carbon emissions. First and foremost though, she always tried to be a good ward councillor, dealing with a wide range of casework, but particularly on Hackney Homes' slowness in doing repairs to Council homes.