Green council candidates for Queens Park, Queensbury, Tokyngton & Kensal Green

John Mansook (Queens Park)

John writes:

I have been a sports and exercise coach for over 10 years and have been involved with initiatives to improve the health of people in Brent. I have strong links in Queens Park and Kensal Rise as it has always been my local area and I was the Parliamentary candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn in the 2017 General Election. I am proud to be the lead Green Party candidate for Queens Park and Kensal Rise. I am an advocate for better health in our area and I support any initiative which helps to make our community healthier.

Having worked with children and young people, I understand how important it is to have a safe community for those most vulnerable. As a self-defence instructor I understand the need for people to feel safe. I will support and fight to keep our streets safe from criminals by supporting our local police. Knife and moped crime has been a blight in and around Queens Park and Kensal Rise and I seek to address this major concern for residents.

Air pollution is on the increase in and around Queens Park and Kensal Rise. As your Green party councillor I am committed to ensuring that the state of our roads are maintained to the highest standards  and initiatives to reduce air pollution are scrutinised to ensure that the air we breathe is safe.

I support local businesses. After speaking to business owners about their concerns over how Brent council does business, I am committed to working with small businesses in Queens Park and Kensal Rise to ensure that they thrive and continue to prosper. We have and always will support local businesses that are environmentally responsible with their waste and we would push to offer incentives to businesses that are environmentally conscious and socially responsible.

Nesrin Ahmet (Queensbury)

 Nesrin has lived in Queensbury most of her life, and aspires to do the best she can for her community. She has been a Green Party member for over a year, and strongly believes in pushing for a “greener” society. She hopes that the Green Party will receive the support it deserves at the local elections, which will encourage policymakers to do more to tackle climate change and protect the environment. 

Nesrin is currently studying towards a politics degree at the University of Nottingham and has a passion for helping others. She is currently a fundraiser for the Rosie May Foundation, a charity which aims to help children at risk of abandonment. She hopes to use her compassion and skills learned to help and inspire others, which is why she thinks she would be a great councillor.

Martin Francis (Tokyngton)

Martin Francis was born in Kingsbury and has lived in Harlesden and Wembley. After reporting the London Stock Exchange for Reuters Economic Services he switched careers to teaching.  He has taught in Neasden and Wembley as well as other areas of London. Now retired he is Chair of Governors at a Wembley primary school and a trustee of the Brent Play Association. He runs the voluntary organisation Brent School Without Walls providing nature activities for primary pupils. 

Martin is a member of the National Education Union (formerly the NUT) and is on the steering group of the Anti-Academies Alliance. He is a member of the Green Party Trade Union Group.

Martin believes passionately in local democracy and provides news and scrutiny of Council policies though his blog Wembley Matters. Martin believes that the current composition of Brent Council, overwhelmingly Labour, is bad for democracy and that ineffective scrutiny by the current opposition has allowed the implementation of many poor decisions, especially over regeneration and waste services. 

Martin says:

You may not agree with everything I say but you can’t deny that effective opposition is healthy for democracy and Green councillors are the way of strengthening the accountability of this Council.  As the African proverb says, 'If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito.'

Samuel Hopkins (Kensal Green)

Samuel works in the arts and creative industries and has a passion for all things Green. He has a particular interest in LGBT+ rights and affairs, and is delighted to see a strong presence from Brent Green Party at the 2018 local elections.

-->