Lewisham son of two Labour front benchers quits party politics to head inequality drive

Lewisham cabinet minister for jobs and the son of two national party figures is stepping down from the town hall.

Cllr Joe Dromey, whose dad is shadow Cabinet office minister Jack Dromey and mum is former Labour leader Harriet Harman, has been appointed director of an organisation tackling inequality.

The New Cross councillor, who was the borough’s cabinet member for jobs, has announced he is stepping down from the Lewisham council.

He is due to start a new full time role heading Central London Forward (CLF), a partnership of 12 local authorities focused on driving inclusive growth in the capital.

This role is politically restricted, so he will be standing down from his Cabinet post, and resigning as a ward councillor in the spring.

Cllr Dromey was first elected to Lewisham council in 2014 and was appointed by Mayor of Lewisham, Damien Egan, to the cabinet in May 2018.

Cllr Dromey chaired the Lewisham Poverty Commission, before working with the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) to develop the borough’s approach to community wealth building.

He led the council’s work to increase Living Wage employers from seven to 83.

Cllr Dromey has led the council’s business support response to the pandemic, ensuring over £46 million in grants went to local businesses.

A by-election in New Cross will take place at the same time as the London Mayoral election, in May 2021.

Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham said: “Over the last seven years Joe has made a fantastic contribution to the Council and I will be very sad to see him step down.”

Cllr  Dromey said: “It has been a real privilege to represent our community for the last seven years. I’ve hugely enjoyed my role.

“I’m really excited about this new challenge. The pandemic has hit the capital hard, and it has hit our most vulnerable residents hardest. As someone passionate about both inclusive growth and London, this is the perfect role for me. As a new dad, it’s the right time to move on. I will really miss working with our dedicated councillors, our fantastic officers, and our incredible community.”

Cllr Joani Reid, recently returned from parental leave, will take over Cllr Dromey’s role as cabinet member for jobs and Skills.