Introducing Marianna Masters!

1.       Tell us a little about yourself

I have been a London Borough of Lambeth councillor since 2018. I am currently seeking re-election in May so am enjoying lots of door knocking, phonebank sessions and leafleting. I spend a great deal of time advocating for social tenants either in overcrowded conditions or worse still in unsuitable temporary accommodation. My heart is always touched by children who through poverty haven’t had the best chance in life.

Volunteering at a local school to encourage children to eat cook and eat vegetables!

Politics aside, I believe in growing our community from the roots up so my now ‘not so secret’ passion is community gardening! The outdoor spaces in Streatham Wells have been invaluable during the pandemic, especially benefiting people’s mental health. Food growing and tending to our local environment has also been one of the few ways to allow residents to come together safely during the pandemic. I regularly volunteer at Railside Community Garden in my ward and am most proud of helping to bring in different members of the community.

I arranged for Autism Voice a charity of children and adults with autism and/or learning disabilities and their families from mainly the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities to visit the community garden where I am a volunteer.

2.       How did you get interested in politics?

I’m made in Lambeth, born in a place that I’m proud my parents chose to make their home in the late 1960s. It is one of the most ethnically diverse places to live.  It’s where three in five of 335,000 Lambeth population describes their ethnicity as non-white. In fact, given the lazy narrative that all Londoners are just cappuccino drinking metropolitan liberal elite, our reality is that it’s the 9th most deprived local authority in London with 31% of the population living in areas of high deprivation.                                Along with the many socio-economic problems is the unpalatable long history in this country of racial injustice. Social mobility was my calling to get involved in politics but despite successes many Black Minority ethnic people feel we are going backwards Without even factoring in Brexit, we are already so disadvantaged on all benchmarks that measure social inequality, economic, health, and criminal justice.

3.       How does your faith interact with your politics?

My faith guides all my decisions whether it is advocating for health inequalities to be addressed in Lambeth or helping the most marginalised in my ward to have a voice in the community. Essentially, my faith demands I be a good neighbour whilst also aspiring to being a good Samaritan. The joy in seeing children happy is priceless!

My Holy First Communion :-)

4.       If you were Prime Minister what would be the first policy you would put in place?

I would bring in a wealth tax to large companies and wealthy individuals. I would use monies raised to offer free childcare for working families. It is not acceptable that struggling families weighed down with bills especially childcare bills should have to choose between heating their home or food. I have seen too many children going to school with dirty clothes as the family can’t afford energy bills.

5.       What do you see for the future of CotL?

I want to see CotL grow into a larger more diverse organisation with active campaigning members that span the whole of the United Kingdom. Personally, I know so many councillors stretched and stressed by being public servants and so I also would like to see our councillor network led by the amazing Cllr Emma Flint and Cllr Gavin White provide support and nurture members who aim for elected positions.