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Richard Olszewski | |
|---|---|
| Leader of Camden Council | |
| In office 2024–2026 | |
| Preceded by | Georgia Gould |
| Camden Borough Councillor for Fortune Green | |
| In office 2014–2026 | |
| Camden Borough Councillor for Regent's Park | |
| In office 1994–2002 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Janusz Olszewski August 1961 (age 64) |
| Party | Labour |
Richard Janusz Olszewski (born August 1961) is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Leader of Camden London Borough Council from 2024 to 2026, when he failed to be re-elected as a councillor.[1]
Life
[edit]Olszewski grew up in Cambusbarron, Scotland. He joined the Labour Party to vote for Denis Healey to beat Tony Benn to be Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in the 1981 deputy leadership election.[2]
Olszewski was a train guard and trade union official, working for the National Union of Railwaymen.[3]
He was a councillor in Regent's Park in the 1990s, but stepped down to focus on being a special adviser to John Reid.[3]
He returned to Camden Council in 2014 by narrowly winning the Fortune Green seat from the Liberal Democrats. He became the Cabinet member responsible for Finance in 2017. Olszewski succeeded Georgia Gould as Leader of the Council in 2024, after Gould was elected to Parliament. There were several contenders for the role.[4]
He narrowly failed to be selected to stand for Parliament himself for the seat of Dudley at the 2024 general election.[5] He was also long-listed for the seat of Welwyn Hatfield.[6]
Olszewski made the decision to change wards for the 2026 election from his marginal ward of Fortune Green to the safe Labour ward of Holborn and Covent Garden[7], where he was defeated by the Green Party candidates.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ https://www.camden.gov.uk/local-election-may-2026-results-holborn-and-covent-garden-ward
- ↑ "From rail guard to council leader, our interview with Richard Olszewski". Camden New Journal.
- 1 2 "Former train guard to keep Labour on track in Fortune Green election". Ham & High. March 30, 2018.
- ↑ "Labour councillors to select new leader of Camden Council". Camden New Journal.
- ↑ "Richard Olszewski to become new leader of Camden Council". Camden New Journal.
- ↑ @tomorrowsmps (2023-02-12). "🔴 WELWYN HATFIELD: Camden councillor & cabinet member for finance, Richard Olszewski, announces he has also made the Labour long-list. In the Blair government he was special adviser to John Reid in six different Cabinet posts. He owns the Altitude public affairs consultancy". X (formerly Twitter).
- ↑ https://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/labour-council-leader-switches-ward-to-avoid-very-marginal-battle-with-lib-dems
- ↑ https://www.camden.gov.uk/local-election-may-2026-results-holborn-and-covent-garden-ward