Nicky Gavron
Encyclopedia
Felicia Nicolette C. "Nicky" Gavron, née Coates (born 1945 Worcester
) is a British politician
, former Deputy Mayor of London
, a member of the London Assembly
and the former Labour
candidate for the 2004 Mayor of London
elections
.
.
She studied at Worcester Girls' Grammar School
, followed by study of the history of art at the Courtauld Institute
in London. She then gained a job as a lecturer at the Camberwell School of Art
in South London.
She has four children.
In 1986, following the abolition of the Greater London Council
, she was elected as a Labour councillor for Archway ward in the London Borough of Haringey
. She was leader of the London Planning Advisory Committee from 1994 until it was absorbed into the Greater London Authority
. She was elected London Assembly Member for Enfield and Haringey
in the 2000 London Assembly election
and was Deputy Mayor of London from May 2000 until June 2003, when the Mayor, Ken Livingstone
, appointed Jenny Jones
, of the Green Party
to succeed her.
Although she was selected as Labour's mayoral candidate for the 2004 elections, she stepped aside when Ken Livingstone
was readmitted to the party. In the 2004 London Assembly election
she was re-elected as a Londonwide Labour Assembly Member on the party list. Shortly after the election, Livingstone once again appointed her to the position of Deputy Mayor. Gavron was supposed to take up a position as acting Mayor during Livingstone's suspension for four weeks from 1 March 2006; but a High Court order froze the suspension, allowing Livingstone to remain in office.
Gavron stood for the Barnet and Camden London Assembly seat in the 2008 GLA elections against Conservative incumbent, Brian Coleman
. Although she was unsuccessful in this contest she increased the Labour share of the vote in the constituency and was reelected to the Assembly on the London-wide list vote. In his victory speech Coleman launched into an extraordinarily vitriolic attack on Gavron, accusing her of having "blood on her hands" for handling the Olympic torch.
Gavron ceased to be Deputy Mayor on 4 May 2008 following Boris Johnson
's victory in the 2008 London Mayoral election. She has since been elected Chair of the London Assembly's Housing and Planning Committee.
Gavron is a former member of the Safer London Committee and the Metropolitan Police Authority
. She also served on the Mayor's Advisory Cabinet, holding the portfolio for spatial development and strategic planning. In this capacity she was the driving force behind much of the Mayor's environment and planning policy, overseeing the London Plan.
- a worldwide climate change action group made up of the world's largest cities. In 2006, Business Week Magazine cited her, along with Ken Livingstone, as one of the twenty most important people in the world in the battle against greenhouse gas emissions. The magazine said that "[she aims] to turn London into a model of a sustainable future for all the world's great cities."
In the same year she called for a new Clean Air Act - a Low Carbon Act to fight climate change. She envisioned low carbon zones being rolled out across the country in the same way that smokeless zones were in the 1950s.
Gavron has criticised patio heaters, calling them "an indulgence too far". In an article for the Guardian's Comment is Free site she asked, "why not wear a jumper and enjoy fresh air, not a cocktail of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and goodness knows what else."
, they divorced in 1987. She is a major shareholder in printing firm St Ives Plc and lives in Highgate
, London
.
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
) is a British politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, former Deputy Mayor of London
Deputy Mayor of London
The Deputy Mayor of London is a member of the London Assembly appointed by the Mayor of London in accordance with the Greater London Authority Act 1999. No particular duties are specified by the Act, except to be available as temporary Mayor during a vacancy or temporary incapacity of the Mayor...
, a member of the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
and the former Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate for the 2004 Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
elections
London mayoral election, 2004
The 2004 election to the post of Mayor of London took place on 10 June 2004. It was being held on the same day as other local elections and the UK part of the 2004 European Parliament elections, so Londoners had a total of five votes on three ballot papers. Polling opened at 07:00 local time, and...
.
Biography
Gavron is the daughter of a German Jew who had fled Nazi Germany in 1936 as pressure on the Jewish community was mounting. In March 2008 she claimed that her mother was chosen to dance before Hitler in the opening ceremony of the 1936 Olympics, until the authorities discovered that she was JewishJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
.
She studied at Worcester Girls' Grammar School
Worcester Sixth Form College
Worcester Sixth Form College in Worcester, England, in the south-east of the city, was founded on the site of the former Worcester Grammar School for Girls following reorganisation in 1983. -Admissions:...
, followed by study of the history of art at the Courtauld Institute
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
in London. She then gained a job as a lecturer at the Camberwell School of Art
Camberwell College of Arts
Camberwell College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, and is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost art and design institutions. It is located in Camberwell, South London, England, with two sites situated at Peckham Road and Wilson Road...
in South London.
She has four children.
Political career
Gavron first became interested in politics in the 1970s when she campaigned against the widening of the Archway Road in London. In an interview with the Guardian she said, "It was in the days when everyone thought road widening was the answer, but the penny dropped for me that it was part of the problem."In 1986, following the abolition of the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
, she was elected as a Labour councillor for Archway ward in the London Borough of Haringey
London Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
. She was leader of the London Planning Advisory Committee from 1994 until it was absorbed into the Greater London Authority
Greater London Authority
The Greater London Authority is the top-tier administrative body for Greater London, England. It consists of a directly elected executive Mayor of London, currently Boris Johnson, and an elected 25-member London Assembly with scrutiny powers...
. She was elected London Assembly Member for Enfield and Haringey
Enfield and Haringey (London Assembly constituency)
Enfield and Haringey is a constituency represented in the London Assembly.It consists of the combined area of the London Borough of Enfield and the London Borough of Haringey.The equivalent Westminster seats are:*Edmonton...
in the 2000 London Assembly election
London Assembly election, 2000
The first elections for members of the London Assembly were held on 4 May 2000, alongside the first mayoral election.The assembly elections used the Mixed member proportional representation, a form of Additional member system, with 14 directly elected constituencies and 11 London-wide top-up...
and was Deputy Mayor of London from May 2000 until June 2003, when the Mayor, Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
, appointed Jenny Jones
Jenny Jones (Green politician)
Jenny Jones is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales. She currently represents the Green Party in the London Assembly, and is standing to be Mayor of London in the 2012 elections. She was Deputy Mayor of London from May 2003 to June 2004...
, of the Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
to succeed her.
Although she was selected as Labour's mayoral candidate for the 2004 elections, she stepped aside when Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
was readmitted to the party. In the 2004 London Assembly election
London Assembly election, 2004
An election to the Assembly of London took place on 10 June 2004, along with the London mayoral election, 2004.The Assembly is elected by the Additional Member System. There are fourteen directly elected constituencies, nine of which were won by the Conservatives and five by the Labour Party...
she was re-elected as a Londonwide Labour Assembly Member on the party list. Shortly after the election, Livingstone once again appointed her to the position of Deputy Mayor. Gavron was supposed to take up a position as acting Mayor during Livingstone's suspension for four weeks from 1 March 2006; but a High Court order froze the suspension, allowing Livingstone to remain in office.
Gavron stood for the Barnet and Camden London Assembly seat in the 2008 GLA elections against Conservative incumbent, Brian Coleman
Brian Coleman
Brian Coleman FRSA is a Conservative Party politician and member of the London Assembly for Barnet and Camden, England. He is a Councillor in the London Borough of Barnet, and was Mayor for 2009-2010....
. Although she was unsuccessful in this contest she increased the Labour share of the vote in the constituency and was reelected to the Assembly on the London-wide list vote. In his victory speech Coleman launched into an extraordinarily vitriolic attack on Gavron, accusing her of having "blood on her hands" for handling the Olympic torch.
Gavron ceased to be Deputy Mayor on 4 May 2008 following Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
's victory in the 2008 London Mayoral election. She has since been elected Chair of the London Assembly's Housing and Planning Committee.
Gavron is a former member of the Safer London Committee and the Metropolitan Police Authority
Metropolitan Police Authority
The Metropolitan Police Authority is the police authority responsible for supervising the Metropolitan Police Service, the police force for Greater London ....
. She also served on the Mayor's Advisory Cabinet, holding the portfolio for spatial development and strategic planning. In this capacity she was the driving force behind much of the Mayor's environment and planning policy, overseeing the London Plan.
Environmental Policy
Gavron is internationally recognised for her environmental expertise. She was a key figure in the establishment of the London Climate Change Agency and the C40Large Cities Climate Leadership Group
The Large Cities Climate Leadership Group, now officially known as the C40 is a group of cities working to reduce urban carbon emissions and to adapt to climate change. It believes it has an important role to play as cities contain around 50% of the world population, consume 75% of the world's...
- a worldwide climate change action group made up of the world's largest cities. In 2006, Business Week Magazine cited her, along with Ken Livingstone, as one of the twenty most important people in the world in the battle against greenhouse gas emissions. The magazine said that "[she aims] to turn London into a model of a sustainable future for all the world's great cities."
In the same year she called for a new Clean Air Act - a Low Carbon Act to fight climate change. She envisioned low carbon zones being rolled out across the country in the same way that smokeless zones were in the 1950s.
Gavron has criticised patio heaters, calling them "an indulgence too far". In an article for the Guardian's Comment is Free site she asked, "why not wear a jumper and enjoy fresh air, not a cocktail of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and goodness knows what else."
Personal life and business interests
She was married to publishing tycoon Robert Gavron, Baron GavronRobert Gavron, Baron Gavron
Robert Gavron, Baron Gavron CBE is a British printing millionaire, philanthropist and a Labour Life Peer.Gavron is the son of Leah and Nathan Gavron. He studied at Leighton Park School in Reading and St Peter's College, Oxford and became a barrister, called to the bar by Middle Temple in 1955...
, they divorced in 1987. She is a major shareholder in printing firm St Ives Plc and lives in Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.