In an exciting new term at the Assembly Benali Hamdache has been invited to take up office as a Londonwide Assembly Member following the formal resignation of Zoë Garbett AM, who stood down from her Assembly position to take up the role of directly elected Mayor of Hackney.
The 11 Londonwide Assembly Members are elected through the additional member system, which is a proportional party list. If a member of any political group on the Assembly, who is a Londonwide Member, stands down, they are replaced by the next person on the party list without the need for a bye-election.
Benali has worked in the charity and campaigning sector for more than 10 years in senior roles leading major campaigns. His work has focused on protecting the NHS, tackling the climate crisis, standing up for migrants' rights and ending child poverty.
He was elected as a councillor in Islington in 2022 and has served as Leader of the Opposition on Islington Council for three years. His key priorities have included social housing, housing repairs and divestment of council funds from companies complicit in destroying the planet and contributing to global atrocities.
Following the announcement Benali, Green Party London Assembly Member said:
“I’m excited to join the London Assembly and get to work delivering the change London urgently needs.
“I have been a councillor for several years and I am looking forward to bringing that experience directly to the London Assembly.
“I will be unapologetically bold about green ideas because both people and the planet are in crisis and Londoners deserve a Mayor that meets the scale of that urgency.
“I’m particularly focused on making the case for rent controls in London because the housing crisis is pushing too many people to breaking point. Sky-high rents are forcing families into poverty and driving people out of their communities. I want to see rent controls introduced across all rented homes to ensure housing is affordable for all.”