This morning, the Union met with London Assembly Member Darren Johnson. Darren is a Green Party member who is chair of the Housing Committee and a part of the Transport Committee.

As part of our political engagement programme, our Officer Trustees and staff have been meeting elected representatives from any location with a significant population of Imperial students.  We gave Darren a tour of the Union, a presentation about our three-year strategic plan and discussed housing issues and transport.

Darren has been an elected member of the London Assembly since it started in May 2000 and has since led investigations into a range of topics, such as the Heathrow expansion and London’s flood risk. He has also been a Green councillor in Lewisham for twelve years (2002-14) and he has a particular interest in improving public transport, tackling London’s housing crisis and providing opportunities for young people.

Nat and Marissa spoke about student issues with private housing and transport in London, including issues with cycling have previously been raised at Union Council. Darren, in turn, also invited them for a tour of City Hall.

As a result of this meeting, we will do the following:

• Keep in contact with Darren Johnson AM about any Union activities or campaigns that highlight issues with private housing and transport for our students