Cllr Diarmaid Ward has been appointed as the new Islington Council Executive Member for Housing and Development. 

Following James Murray’s appointment as Sadiq Khan’s Deputy Mayor for Housing, Cllr Ward has joined the Executive to become the borough’s new housing lead. 

Cllr Diarmaid Ward said: “I am very excited about my new post, and look forward to the challenge of continuing the excellent work already happening in Islington. 

“Like most of London, Islington faces a housing crisis.  We are building new council homes, but also face huge challenges from the Government’s new Housing and Planning Act, which will put our council housing under even more pressure. 

“I will work hard to deliver the genuinely affordable housing Islington needs, and to protect council housing.  I will also support private renters in Islington to help make sure they have decent places to live, and are treated fairly.”

Cllr Ward has been councillor for Holloway ward since 2014, and has lived in Islington for six years. He has worked as a legal aid solicitor, specialising in criminal defence, and was a member of the duty solicitor scheme at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court.

Islington is building the most new council homes in a generation, and over 50 per cent of new homes on eligible sites have been genuinely affordable homes over the last 5 years. 

A further 2,000 new genuinely affordable homes will be built between 2015 and 2019, including 500 new council home