Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and a student on the Urban and Regional Planning MA course, visited the University of Westminster to speak to fellow MA students about the importance of planning and his work in local government.
Cllr Okereke was elected Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich in May 2022, having previously served as Cabinet Member for Housing.
He was born and raised in the borough, having grown up in Woolwich, and has represented Woolwich Common for Labour since 2018. He is the first Black leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
Cllr Okereke temporarily paused his studies at Westminster when he became leader, however he took the time out of his busy schedule to speak to fellow MA students about his career, the link between planning and politics and the importance of the built environment, and thus of planning, for shaping and improving people's lives.
Speaking about his visit, Anthony Okereke said: “The places where we live and work play a major role in our daily lives. For me, good planning is a key tool with which we can make these places, and therefore the lives of our citizens, better. It was great to meet with Westminster's planning students. Local authorities face a difficult task when it comes to planning and we need bold and bright planners to take on the many challenges boroughs like Greenwich face and take advantage of the opportunities the future holds.”
Johannes Novy, Course Leader of the Urban and Regional Planning MA, said: “It was a privilege to have Anthony Okereke with us again. It is not unusual for our course to attract students who are involved in local government, or for alumni to pursue political careers after their studies with us. The fact that one of our students was able to rise to the position of Council Leader, however, is fantastic and that Anthony was able to meet with this year's cohort and share his experiences in local government with us, despite his busy schedule, only makes it better.
“Planning is often mistakenly perceived as a purely technical or purely design-orientated undertaking, whilst in reality it is, of course, far from just that, but also decidedly political. Effective planning requires an understanding of its political nature and an appreciation of the political context in which it operates, and Anthony's insightful reflections were extremely helpful in bringing this message across.”
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