New Speaker for Hackney
Hackney resident, Cllr Michael Desmond has become the borough’s 114th civic representative, after he was appointed as Speaker of Hackney at the Council’s Annual General Meeting on 22 May.
With ancestry links to the borough going back to the mid-19th century and having lived in Hackney for over 25 years, Cllr Desmond is fully aware of the challenges faced and is keen to do his part in telling the story of Hackney’s successful transformation to all.
Through dedication and hard work, we have all helped to improve the local environment and improve safety in the borough. Hackney now has high performing schools, a great hospital, cleaner streets, great transport links, and inward investment from the rising numbers of businesses that have opened here. It’s important for the speakership to be inclusive, for everyone, right across the borough including local businesses, residents and individuals who work in Hackney. Everyone should feel part of the community and a part of Hackney’s success.
Cllr Desmond hopes to foster partnerships between business and local public services for the benefit of the community and has also set his sights on sporting achievement in the borough.
Through the charity he founded ‘House the Homeless’, he witnessed first hand the huge impact that mentors and positive role models play in motivating young people to ‘never give up, believe in themselves and look forward to the future’. For this reason, and with young people and homelessness close to his heart, the Speaker has chosen to support St Mungo’s, charity for homeless people, and the Fairbridge Programme of the Prince’s Trust.
These charities, he says, "make a difference to young people’s lives and have made a huge impact in Hackney". During his year as Speaker, Cllr Desmond will be working to fundraise and raise awareness for both organisations.
For more information about the new Speaker, or if you would like him to attend an event, call 020 8356 3591; email:speaker@hackney.gov.uk or write to: Speaker of Hackney, c/o the Speaker’s Office, Room 72, Hackney Town Hall, Mare Street, E8 1EA.