Councillor Una O'Halloran was elected as the new leader of Islington Council. She is the first leader of the council to have been born and raised in the borough, and the first to have been a lifelong council tenant. She was elected unanimously by councillors after being proposed and seconded by Labour councillors, and welcomed by councillors from the Green party.

Election of the Leader of the Council

The council voted to elect Councillor Una O’Halloran as the new leader of Islington Council ¹.

Councillor O'Halloran has represented the Caledonian ward in Islington since 2010. This is the first time in 38 years that a councillor from a South Islington ward ² has been elected leader of the council. Councillor O’Halloran is also the first leader of the council to have been born and raised in Islington.

Councillor O'Halloran's election follows the decision of the previous leader, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, to stand down. Councillor Comer-Schwartz had been leader of the council since 2021. Councillor O’Halloran was the sole nominee. In her speech accepting the leadership, Councillor O'Halloran said:

I just want to say to all of you, you've put a lot of trust in me, but it's not about me, it's about all of us. A leader's only as good as her team and I say to the opposition groups as well, we need to work together. We've all got elected to serve residents and I intend to serve whatever's thrown at us.

Councillor O’Halloran’s speech focused on the cost of living crisis and housing. She highlighted the financial pressures facing residents, and reiterated the council's commitment to building new council homes. She said:

We are a small borough, we are about inequality, we are about fairness, but Labour Party is about hope and people need hope.

She also announced that Councillor Bredford Bell would be her deputy leader. Councillor Bell is one of the youngest members of the council. He was first elected in 2022.