Jennette Arnold
OBE
Arnold in 2012
Chair of the London Assembly
In office
2 May 2019 – 15 May 2020
Preceded byTony Arbour
Succeeded byNavin Shah
In office
3 May 2017 – 10 May 2018
Preceded byTony Arbour
Succeeded byTony Arbour
In office
May 2015 – May 2016
Preceded byRoger Evans
Succeeded byTony Arbour
In office
May 2011 – May 2013
Preceded byDee Doocey
Succeeded byDarren Johnson
In office
May 2008 – May 2009
Preceded bySally Hamwee
Succeeded byDarren Johnson
Member of the London Assembly
for North East
In office
10 June 2004 – 8 May 2021
Preceded byMeg Hillier
Succeeded bySem Moema
Member of the London Assembly
as the 8th Additional Member
In office
4 July 2000 – 10 June 2004
Preceded byDavid Lammy
Succeeded byNicky Gavron
Personal details
BornMontserrat
NationalityBritish
Political partyLabour Co-op

Jennette Arnold, OBE is a Labour Co-op politician who served as chair of the London Assembly for five terms. From 2004 to 2021, Arnold represented the North East constituency, comprising the London Boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest.

Born in Montserrat, Arnold trained as a nurse. She then worked as an Industrial Relations Officer and as Regional Director of Services and Special Adviser (Equalities) to the General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing. She then worked as an associate for organisational development consultancy, Beacon Associates.[1]

Arnold was elected to Islington Council in 1994, eventually serving a term as deputy mayor. On the creation of the Greater London Authority in 2000, she was included on Labour's Londonwide list for the London Assembly, but missed out on a spot. Following the resignation of David Lammy prompted by his election as a Member of Parliament, Arnold as next in line on Labour's list became a Londonwide member of the Assembly in July 2000. She was subsequently selected as Labour's candidate for the North East constituency and elected in the 2004 Assembly election.

Arnold served as Chair of the London Assembly[2] for five terms.[3] She was the London Assembly Labour Group's lead spokesperson on education and Chair of the London Assembly's Education Panel.[4] Arnold previously chaired the Cultural Strategy Group for London, playing a role in bringing the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to London.[5] She has also sat on the Assembly's Economic and Social Development Committee and served as a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

During her time in the Assembly, Arnold campaigned on issues including the provision of education for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)[3][6] and the improvement of services on the Gospel Oak to Barking line.[7][8] She also campaigned extensively on the eradication of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM),[9][10] often citing witnessing a victim of FGM during her time as a student nurse as what prompted her to take action.[11]

In 2007 Arnold was listed by New Nation newspaper as one of Britain's 50 most influential black women.

A member of the UK delegation on the European Committee of the Regions, Arnold is currently: a council member of the Royal Court Theatre; a governor of the Museum of London; a governor of Sadler's Wells Theatre Foundation, a patron of the Victoria Climbie Foundation, and a former Chair of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.[12]

During the 2015 Labour Party leadership election Arnold endorsed Jeremy Corbyn.[13]

In January 2019 Arnold announced in a statement to the Assembly that she would not be standing in the 2020 London Assembly election.[14] In May 2020, she stepped down as chair and was replaced by Navin Shah.[15] However, with the deferral of the election by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she continued as an AM until the 2021 London Assembly election.

References

  1. ^ "Jennette Arnold – Bio". london.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2008.
  2. ^ "London Assembly – Membership of Committees/Bodies and Terms of Reference 2019/20 | London Assembly" (PDF). london.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b "London Assembly member Jennette Arnold to step down | The Voice". voiceonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Committee Details - Education Panel | London City Hall". london.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  5. ^ "About Jennette | London City Hall". london.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Special needs funding gap in London schools "unsustainable" | East London & West Essex Guardian". guardian-series.co.uk. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  7. ^ "News from Jennette Arnold OBE: Free month of travel on GOBLIN line does not stretch far enough | London City Hall". london.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  8. ^ "NEWS FROM THE BARKING –GOSPEL OAK RAIL USER GROUP 15 JULY 2018 | Barking - Gospel Oak Rail User Group" (PDF). barking-gospeloak.org.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Eradicating Female Genital Mutilation in London – the role of the London Assembly | Jennette Arnold OBE AM". jennettearnold.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  10. ^ "FGM Still Exists: And We Need To Fight Even Harder To Eradicate It | HuffPost UK". huffingtonpost.co.uk. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Ending FGM in London | London City Hall". london.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  12. ^ "Jennette Arnold appointed to the Museum of London". 10 Downing Street. 19 March 2008. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2008.
  13. ^ Jennette Arnold OBE [@JennetteArnold] (3 June 2015). ".@jeremycorbyn My MP has put himself forward 2be leader of the @UKLabour party. I do hope he gets the 35 PLP names so that I can vote 4 him!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "Jennette Arnold announces she won't stand for re-election to London Assembly | Islington Gazette". islingtongazette.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  15. ^ "May 2020 London Assembly Plenary Session". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021.

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