Peter Richardson

*About Peter* I’ve lived in Cann Hall ward with my family for nearly 15 years – helping me grow roots in a community I’d love to represent as a councillor. Through organising and advocating for local change, I’ve helped establish a residents’ group which successfully campaigned for long-overdue streetscape improvements on Harrow Road, as well as petitioning to help a stalled School Street scheme over the line. I continue to work with local residents to highlight and address community concerns – but also most importantly as a way of bringing people together. This has shown me what organised, respectful and determined local action can achieve – all experiences I’d be privileged to use as a councillor for Cann Hall. *What Peter stands for* My professional background as a designer, researcher and educator means understanding a range of different audiences, and helps shape my engagement with local issues. I’m interested in how bigger challenges play out in our community – from the gig economy and pollution, to housing failures and the erosion of our public spaces – all experiences that residents raise as local concerns around housing, accessibility and fly-tipping. As a diligent thinker and doer, I believe we need to create better conversations that reflect how local issues link to wider systems that shape them. I know first-hand the frustration many local residents share around a lack of meaningful representation – too often people feel overlooked and their votes taken for granted. By valuing inclusion, consistency and constructive dialogue, I hope to bring stronger accountability to our local government in Waltham Forest