Islington Green Party has announced that Ernestas Jegorovas has been selected to be their candidate in the upcoming Barnsbury ward by-election. The election will take place on Thursday 14th July 2016.
The selection follows an open election of members of Islington Green Party’s members in the west of the borough.
The Green Party is the only opposition to the ruling Labour party on Islington Council and when the council was last elected in 2014, the Greens took 19.7% of the vote across the borough, making them Islington’s second party.
Ernestas works as a Head of Physics and Advanced Practitioner at a Sixth Form college in Waltham Forest. He is the National Union of Teachers’ representative at his workplace and has served as an officer in the borough’s branch. He is also National Young Greens’Senate Co-chair, having been a member of the partyfor over three years.
Recently Ernestas has been elected as the Vice-Chair of Islington Stop and Search Community Monitoring Group, holding Islington police to account and empowering youngpeople by informing themabout their rights.
Last year, Ernestas won an Active Transport Planning Award, securing over £5,000 from Waltham Forest Council to encourage people to walk and cycle more by improving facilities and accessibility. He has also conducted an air quality monitoring project with his students and jointly established a community group facilitated by Mapping for Change, a subsidy of UCL.
Ernestas Jegorovas said: “I am delighted to have been selected as the Green Party candidate for the Barnsbury by-election. The Greens already have one councillor and are the sole opposition to the Labour council. We have a real chance to get another Green elected on the 14th July to ensure that Labour is held to account and the council better represents the voting public. I will campaign for the creation of decent and affordable housing, and, as a council estate resident myself, I will fight against the implementation of the dreadful ‘Tennant Tax’, also known as ‘Pay to Stay’. I will also continue my work to make Islington a healthier borough to live and work in by highlighting areas of high air pollution which are above the EU legal limit, as well as campaigning for better provision of youth services. These are some of the biggest issues residents in Barnsbury have told me they are concerned about which Greens have real solutions to.”
Green Councillor, Caroline Russell said: ““Ernestas would make a fantastic addition to the council chamber and would be a hard-working and committed councillor. He is a focussed campaigner and a great example for others; showing that young people care about politics and community and can make a real difference.”