Labour Councillor Clyde Loakes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate and Air Quality, has been awarded a Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) from His Majesty, The King, for services to local government.
Clyde was instrumental in securing and delivering the Enjoy Waltham Forest programme over the last decade, which has seen the borough transformed by major investment in walking and cycling. Waltham Forest Labour is incredibly proud of Clyde and everything he has achieved over his long service in local government.
“It’s a huge honour and privilege to receive this MBE from His Majesty, The King. I’m absolutely delighted. I’ve been a councillor working in local government for 26 years and I am grateful to my party, as well as the people and organisations that I have had the honour and privilege of working with and being supported by during this time. I’d like to also thank Council staff past and present for their years of support.
“Most importantly though I’d like to thank the people of Waltham Forest and my own ward, Leytonstone, for their faith, trust and confidence in me, which has allowed me to serve both as a cabinet member and ward councillor. I’m forever humbled by that.
Cllr Grace Williams, Labour Leader of Waltham Forest Council, said:
“I’m delighted that Clyde’s outstanding record in local government had been recognised with an MBE. It is richly deserved for someone that was first elected as a local councillor in 1998 and has been serving our borough ever since. My fellow councillors and I have learned a huge amount from his approach in this time.
“Clyde has provided leadership through every stage of our multi award-winning and ground-breaking Mini-Holland initiative that has flourished into a second decade thanks to the Enjoy Waltham Forest programme.
“It has delivered significant investment and radical expansion and improvements to the borough’s active travel infrastructure, boosting the safety, priority and numbers of residents walking and cycling.”