Labour’s Caroline Woodley becomes new Mayor of Hackney

Labour candidate Caroline Woodley earlier today following the win. Pic : Hackney Council

Caroline Woodley has been elected as the new Mayor of Hackney after receiving 18,474 votes in the election held yesterday. The results were announced earlier this afternoon.

The Labour councillor is the first female mayor of Hackney and third to be directly elected in the borough, succeeding Philip Glanville who resigned in September.

Woodley’s win makes her the fifth female directly elected mayor in the UK. She stands alongside the Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz, Norma Redfearn, the Mayor of North Tyneside, Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster and Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire .

Mayor of London congratulates Woodley. Pic : X, @SadiqKhan

In a statement, Woodley said: “I want to thank the people of Hackney for placing their faith in me and electing a Labour Mayor of Hackney. Serving this special place of solidarity and culture is the greatest honour of my life. I will work for you day and night. That’s all of you.”

“I will build on that legacy, with 1000 new council homes, a green new deal to tackle the climate emergency. I want to support local jobs, better customer services, and safer, healthier streets for all.”

She added: “I entered politics five years ago. Back then, I could never have imagined I would go on to become the first woman to serve as the directly elected Mayor of Hackney. I will lead our borough in that spirit of progress: proudly anti-racist, inclusive, welcoming, kind and open. A place where you can be who you are. A place for us all.”

Over the last two decades, Woodley has lived in Hackney and raised her son Fred as a single parent.

Her involvement with Labour politics began following Labour losing the 2015 general election, leaving Woodley “very worried for what it would mean” for the Coalition Government to be replaced by a Tory Conservative majority, when prior to the election it was a mix of Liberal Democrat and Conservative. She became part of a small group of branch Labour Party members who would meet once a month in Cazenove ward, and put herself forward in 2018 to be elected as a councillor for the ward which hadn’t been Labour led for 20 years. She was selected along with two other Labour candidates, Sam Pallis and Anthony McMahon.

Woodley spoke of her Labour involvement and dedication getting to know the different community groups in Hackney over the years in an interview for Cazenove Labour between her and her son in 2020.

Alongside being a councillor she has spent two years as a cabinet member in Hackney Council. Her current portfolio covers families, parks and leisure.

In her Cabinet position she directed plans for new and improved leisure facilities in Hackney, such as the award winning Britannia Leisure centre. She also oversaw transformation projects in Abney, Shoreditch and Springfield including securing £12 million from the Department of Education to create 300 school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities.