Green Party councillor for Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside, Andrée Frieze, has decided not to stand for re-election in next year’s local elections.
Andrée was first elected in 2018 in Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside and then again in 2022, when the Green Group became the only Opposition on the Council. Andrée became Opposition Leader in May 2023, having been Deputy Opposition Leader since May 2022, and she will continue both as a councillor and Leader until May 2026. She also sits on Transport, Planning, Regulatory and Wandsworth and Richmond Joint Staffing Committees. Previously, Andrée chaired the Audit, Standards and Statutory Accounts Committee and sat on the Education and Children’s Services Committee.
During Andrée’s eight years on the Green Group, Richmond Council was one of the first in the country to declare a Climate Emergency. [1] As a consequence of Green actions, Richmond is an accredited Living Wage payer and has one of the strongest targets in the country for air pollution. [2][3]
The Greens have also supported some of the most vulnerable people in our borough by pushing for changes in how the Council acts when collecting Council Tax arrears. As the Opposition, the Greens have boosted housing up the agenda, resulting in better support for private renters and the Liberal Democrat administration doing more to provide affordable housing for residents.
Andrée says: “It has been an absolute honour to serve my local community in Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside. I have helped residents with many issues, including housing, waste, potholes, anti-social behaviour and more. I have been part of the community campaign against the terrible Thames Water TDRA scheme, and I will continue to fight it to protect the river, homes and local people
“I am pleased that while I’ve been a councillor the regeneration of Ham Close has finally started, so that residents will benefit from new, more energy-efficient homes that meet modern standards for space and lifts for those with mobility issues. The regeneration also provides additional social rent homes as well as market sale homes, both of which are desperately needed across Richmond and London.”
Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Chas Warlow, says: “Andrée has been an inspirational leader of the Green Group and she will leave big shoes to fill. I know that Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside residents appreciate the unstinting work she has done for them to resolve a host of issues over the last eight years, and will be happy to see more Green councillors elected at next year’s Council elections.”
ENDS
Editor’s notes:
For media enquiries, please contact:
Cllr Andrée Frieze, Leader of the Opposition
cllr.a.frieze@richmond.gov.uk
