About Brenda

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Deputy Mayor of Lewisham, and Councillor for Deptford (Labour and Co-Operative)

Cllr. Brenda Dacres is Deputy Mayor of Lewisham and Cabinet Member for Housing Development and Planning.

Jo Cox Women in Leadership Programme Graduate – Inaugural Year 2016 – 2017

My Background

I am a single parent who has lived in Lewisham for over 40 years. My parents came to England from Jamaica in the early 1960s, each in search of a better life. They are both retired. My Dad was a mechanic who later in life retrained to become a black taxi driver and my Mum was a nurse in the NHS. I am the eldest of their four children. I was the first in the family to go to university after receiving a grant from Lewisham Council.

I am active within the community, and have previously been a local primary school governor, and PTA Secretary for a Lewisham secondary school. I have worked in I.T since 1991 as Desktop Support Officers, Service Manager, Project Manager and Data Analyst. I hold a degree in Physical Sciences with Computing, and also a Law degree. I was called to the Bar after successfully completing the Barrister Course in 2006.

I care about supporting our local schools and teachers to give the best education, and develop our children to their fullest potential; improving and increasing affordable housing; engaging our young people and ensuring they have the services they need. I want to work towards improving employment and apprenticeship opportunities locally.

In 2013 I was selected to be one of the Councillor Candidates for New Cross Ward. I also became the Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME) CLP Officer, which enabled me to work with BAME members on what they felt was important, for example demystifying how the local Labour party worked and associated abbreviations and acronyms, keeping them informed of what was happening locally and nationally.

In the 2014 Councillor Elections I was elected a Councillor for New Cross Ward. and became a London Borough of Lewisham Councillor. Where I work hard to help those in my Ward and for Lewisham.

Since becoming a member of Lewisham Council I was elected by my fellow Councillors to be their Chair of Labour Group of Councillors, and the Chair of Standards for two years. They have also elected me to be the Chief Whip of Labour Group of Councillor and their Labour Group Secretary. Since joining the Council I have sat on the Overview and Scrutiny Business Panel, Overview and Scrutiny Educational Business Panel, Children Young & Young People, Safer & Stronger Communities, Public Accounts, Appointments, Constitutional Working Party, Planning Committee, Standards Committee.

2018 Local Election – Councillor with the highest percentage votes in Lewisham

I have been Cabinet Member for Environment & Transport (Job Share) – Responsible for Highways, Transport, Parking Policy & Enforcement, and the Bakerloo Line Extension. Also Cabinet Member for Safer Communities with the additional responsibility for the Bakerloo Line Extension.

I am now Deputy Mayor of Lewisham and Cabinet Member for Housing Development and Planning.

I am also the Vice Chair (Labour) and an executive member of the National Association of Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority Councillors, which is a cross party organisation.

Member of Unite The Union, GMB, Unison and The Co-operative Party.

Member of Labour Women’s Network, BAME Labour and Fabians Society.