Rachel Blake
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Comment: See WP:BLP. All statements, starting with the date of birth, need to be sourced or removed. Subject should also be referred to by their surname. Greenman (talk) 16:26, 30 March 2024 (UTC)
Rachel Nancy Blake is a British Labour Party politician, who has served as a councillor[1] in London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Bow East Ward since 2014 [2]. Blake was Deputy Mayor in Tower Hamlets 2018-2022[3]. She is currently the Labour candidate for Cities of London and Westminster for the next general election.[4][5][6][7] Blake was born in Manchester and grew up in London where she currently lives.
Career
Blake joined the Labour Party in 2003. Early in her career Blake was a policy advisor at HM Treasury under Gordon Brown[8], and was a member of Kate Barker's team on a Review of Land Use Planning which was published in December 2006[9]. From 2009-2013 she was a manager at East London Housing Partnership.[10]
In May 2014 she was elected as a Labour Party councillor for Bow East Ward on Tower Hamlets Borough Council[11], and appointed to Cabinet in July 2015.[12] In Cabinet, she has worked on the production of a new Local Plan, a new Housing Strategy and a programme of 1000 new affordable homes.
As a member of the Labour Party, she has been Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing. Prior to this she held a range of roles in Local, Regional and National Government working on Housing, Regeneration and Planning Policy.
Representing the Local Government Association at a hearing of the Housing, Communities and Local Gvoernment Select Committee in June 2021, she noted that national regulations often held back and undermined local ambition and innovation on climate change. She called for more ambitious building standards on energy efficiency, but noted that competions for funding meant councils often wasted resources on bidding rather than getting on with the job.[13] At a Local Government Association community wellbeing ward in December 2021 she attacked poor organisation of the COVID-19 vaccine booster programme.[14]
Rachel Blake is Vice-chair of the Labour Housing Group[15] . She was previously the secretary of the London Labour Housing Group[16] is also previously a member of the London Legacy Development Corporation Board. She has campaigned for tougher regulations of short-term rentals in London[17] , housing improvements and other built environment issues[18].[19][20]
Personal life
Blake's partner, Marc Francis, is a fellow Tower Hamlets borough councillor. She has two sons. She is a member of the Unison and GMB Union.
References
- ^ "Councillor details - Councillor Rachel Blake".
- ^ "Election results for Bow East, 22 May 2014". 22 May 2014.
- ^ https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/starmer-intake-mps-future-labour-2967420
- ^ https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/starmer-intake-mps-future-labour-2967420
- ^ https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/breaking-gove-intervenes-over-barbican-demolition-plans
- ^ "Blake chosen to 'turn Two Cities red' at next election". Camden New Journal.
- ^ "Our rundown of Labour parliamentary selections over the weekend". 25 July 2022.
- ^ https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/starmer-intake-mps-future-labour-2967420
- ^ "Foreword", Barker Review of Land Use Planning (PDF) (Final Report - Recommendations ed.), HMSO, 2006
- ^ "Contact Us". East London Housing Partnership. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ Gareth Piggott (September 2014). London Borough Council Elections 22 May 2014 (PDF). London: Greater London Authority. p. 171. ISSN 1479-7879.
- ^ "Councillor details - Councillor Rachel Blake". democracy.towerhamlets.gov.uk. 29 March 2024.
- ^ Ford, Martin (24 June 2021). "'Climate change efforts need national support'". The Municipal Journal. London: Hemming Group Ltd. p. 2.
- ^ Hill, Jessica (14 December 2021). "Covid booster drive criticised amid call for vaccine hubs within councils". Local Government Chronicle.
- ^ "Executive – Labour Housing Group". 17 May 2019.
- ^ Spencer, Sheila (9 April 2020). "Rachel Blake".
- ^ Block, India (20 February 2024). "New restrictions on short-term letting could just be 'more hot air'". Evening Standard.
- ^ https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/breaking-gove-intervenes-over-barbican-demolition-plans
- ^ Rees, Linus (16 October 2023). "Candidate for 'two cities' says Labour will insulate homes and help families cut energy bills". Fitzrovia News.
- ^ Spocchia, Gino (28 September 2023). "Five takeaways from AJ Retrofit Live: 'Net zero is here to stay'".