Debbie Weekes-Bernard

Biography

Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard is London’s Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice.

Since taking office, Debbie has made it a priority to ensure London’s diverse communities have a voice both in their city and on policy issues which directly impact them. She works to promote social justice and equality for all groups, leading the Mayor’s work to support Londoners with the rising cost of living, working closely with all sectors to provide support to those arriving from outside the UK seeking safety and sanctuary in the city and championing London’s diverse voluntary, community and faith sector.

Debbie chairs the Mayor’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory group, as well as London’s Strategic Migration Panel, is co-chair of MOPAC’S Disproportionality Board and is a member of the London Policing Board. Debbie chairs a variety of expert groups to ensure the Mayor’s work is informed by lived experience and subject expertise. These groups include the Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations quarterly roundtable, the Race Equality roundtable and Interfaith fora among others. She is also Chair of Praxis, a charity supporting migrants and refugees and is a Distinguished Friend of the Migration Museum.

Debbie joined the mayoral team in 2018 from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation where she led the organisation’s work on poverty and ethnicity with additional expertise on labour markets, education, lone parents and young people. Prior to this Debbie worked at the Runnymede Trust as Head of Research, running their work on inclusive curriculum development, education attainment gaps and school exclusion as well as work on community cohesion, race and criminal justice and youth transitions. She also worked as a Lecturer of Social Psychology and Criminology in both the further and higher education sectors.

Debbie has sat on several influential panels and working parties including the Poverty Commissions for both the National Union of Students and the London borough of Lewisham and is a member of the British Journal of Sociology of Education Editorial Board.

She has also served locally as a chair of governors for two federated primary schools in East London.

Debbie has a PhD in Psychology and Sociology and was also awarded an honorary doctorate in 2023. She was born in Brent and lives in Waltham Forest.

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