In the by-election yesterday Shumon Ali-Rahman became the newest Waltham Forest Labour councillor in Higham Hill. We are delighted to have won and are looking forward to Shumon working hard for every resident in Higham Hill. Shumon won 924 votes, with Lib Dems in second with 268. Greens came third with 198, TUSC 144 and finally Tories with 78 votes.

We want to thank every activist who spent time with us on the doors, having those vital conversations and turning out the vote in Higham Hill. Every single conversation, phone call and leaflet round mattered and we are grateful for your support.

Shumon also echoes these comments:

“I want to thank the residents of Higham Hill for electing me as their new councillor. Waltham Forest Labour Council has continued to prioritise Higham Hill residents through millions of pounds in support to help with the cost of living, investing £22,000 in Higham Hill parks since last year and creating the Blackhorse cultural enterprise zone. I’m delighted that the council has agreed a £1.6m scheme for Sutherland Road to improve drainage with new planting, new and improved CCTV, better crossings, footway and access improvements and a public art project.

“It is clear from these election results that Higham Hill residents want their Labour representatives to continue working hard for them. I am really looking forward to working with Cllr Karen Bellamy and Cllr Kira Lewis to deliver on further local improvements in Higham Hill, championing residents’ voices in local decision making and ensuring there’s more ward walks with police and council officers to help keep our streets safe.”

Shumon was a brilliant candidate and will be an excellent councillor. We are so proud of the campaign we ran which was full of positivity and optimism. Our vote held up well and that is testament to everyone’s brilliant efforts.

We want to especially thank our organiser Liam Carroll, agent Paul Douglas and campaigning superstar Alison Cox for their enormous efforts to secure this win. We would also like to pay tribute to our brilliant sitting councillors Cllr Karen Bellamy and Cllr Kira Lewis who have both been fantastic throughout the campaign and serve as excellent representatives of the ward.