Damien Egan
Damien James Egan is a British Labour Party politician, and the second directly elected Mayor of Lewisham in Greater London.[1] He won the May 2018 mayoral election, having previously been a borough councillor for the Lewisham Central ward.
Damien Egan | |
|---|---|
| 2nd Mayor of Lewisham | |
| Assumed office 4 May 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Bullock |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Damien Egen |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
Early life
Egan was born in Cork, Ireland, and raised in Bristol.[2] During his childhood, his family were homeless on two occasions.[3] He later studied at St Mary's Twickenham,[3] and moved to Lewisham after his graduation.[2] He has described his family as "cultural Catholics"; as an adult, he converted to Judaism.[4]
Political career
At the 2005 general election Egan came third as the Labour candidate in Weston-super-Mare. At the 2010 general election he was the party's candidate in Beckenham, where he again finished third behind the Conservative and Liberal Democrats candidates.
Mayor of Lewisham
As a mayor, Egan has committed to deliver 1000 new social homes and double the number of Living Wage employers in the borough.[2] In January 2019, he launched London's first indoor sleeping pods for homeless people in the emergency night shelter.[5]
References
- "London Mayoral Elections 2018 - Labour holds firm". East London Lines. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- "Mayor's biography". Lewisham Council. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- Jess McCabe (26 September 2018). "Experiences of homelessness: an interview with Lewisham Mayor Damien Egan". Inside Housing. Ocean Media Group. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- Philpot, Robert (2 June 2019). "'Sometimes you feel like you're hiding something,' says Labour mayor of converting to Judaism". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- "Lewisham Mayor launches innovative homeless sleeping pods". 999 Club. 999 Club and Lady Florence Trust. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.