Chair of Islington Labour’s LGBT Councillors Group, Cllr Nick Ward, writes about the priorities for the group in the months ahead.  

Following the local election results in May which saw Islington Labour win 47 out of 48 seats in the borough, Islington Labour now has more LGBT identifying councillors than ever before.

Islington Labour is committed to promoting equality, diversity and social justice.

The newly convened LGBT Labour Group has already met to discuss its priorities and how it can encourage LGBT members to participate in local politics. 

The first meeting identified many important topics and campaigns, including tackling homophobic bullying in schools. 

According to the charity Stonewall, almost nine in ten secondary school teachers (86 per cent) and almost half of primary school teachers (45 per cent) surveyed say pupils in their schools have experienced homophobic bullying. However, only eight per cent of primary school teachers and 17 per cent of secondary school teachers say they have received specific training on tackling homophobic bullying.

Over the coming months the LGBT Labour Group will be looking to identify best practice in Islington’s schools and elsewhere to help tackle bullying, and will bring forward new initiatives to address this important issu