LEWISHAM Green Party has selected Clare Phipps, a disability activist and Chair of the national Green Party, to contest the Brockley Ward by-election on 13 October.
27 year old Phipps, who analyses public health data as part of a PhD, said that she was “really chuffed” to have been selected in “a highly winnable seat for the Greens” and that she had been “waiting years for the opportunity to fight back on behalf of residents."
Phipps suffers from a rare disorder known as idiopathic hypersomnia and has dedicated much time fighting for improved support for disabled people, recently appealing to the High Court to allow MPs to job-share, something she says would help more disabled people and carers stand for parliament.
Phipps said:
“People are feeling hacked off with cuts to public services, with dodgy landlords, and at the ruining of our beautiful neighbourhood as a result of fly-tipping and smoggy car fumes. Labour might talk the talk, but with all but one of the seats on our council currently in their hands, they have no incentive to walk the walk. Currently, the Greens’ Cllr John Coughlin is the only one on the entire council holding Labour to account. I think even Labour would surely agree that isn’t good for democracy?"
The Brockley Ward by-election was triggered when sitting Labour councillor Alicia Kennedy resigned. The election will take place on Thursday 13 October.
Notes
Candidate biography:
Clare Lorraine Phipps is a long standing Green Party member, and previously stood in the 2014 local elections, where she was a key part of the campaign to hold the Greens’ Brockley council seat and re-elect Jean Lambert, London's Green MEP. She was then elected to the national Green Party Executive.
Phipps trained in demography and public health, in which she is now undertaking a PhD with a research council scholarship. Phipps first became ill with Idiopathic Hypersomnia in 2009, a condition which means she sleeps for up to 12 hours a night and which means she can only work part-time. In 2015 she appeared in the national media seeking a judicial review on the current ban on MPs job sharing. Although this means she cannot currently become an MP, she can happily serve as a Councillor.