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James-J Walsh, 43 Sunderland Road, Catford (2026)

09/05/2026

As my public service in Lewisham comes to an end after 12 years, I want to simply say thank you.

Serving Rushey Green as a Labour & Co-operative councillor has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.

Since first being elected in 2014, I have tried every day to work hard for the community I love, to stand up for local residents, and to do the right thing, even when that was not always the easiest path politically or personally.

Together, we achieved real change.

I was proud to help lead the return of council housebuilding in Lewisham for the first time in a generation, helping deliver more than 2,000 new council rent homes despite huge financial and economic pressures.

When the world was in chaos during COVID, I was proud to support residents on the frontlines alongside volunteers, NHS staff, mutual aid groups and council officers.

I was proud to help deliver Lewisham’s year as Borough of Culture. And here in Catford, I fought to bring investment, culture, housing and life back into our town centre.

I am proud to have helped reopen Catford Library, secure £7 million investment for the Broadway Theatre, and help deliver major projects that will shape the future of our area for years to come, including Goldsmiths University opening a new Catford campus, the return of Castle Cinema, the community-led Sister Midnight project, and 113 genuinely affordable new homes at Thomas Lane Yard.

None of that was done alone.

Thank you to every resident, volunteer, campaigner, council officer, community organisation, colleague, friend and neighbour who supported me and worked alongside me over the years.

Losing is difficult, but I remain incredibly proud of what we achieved together for Rushey Green and Lewisham.

Whatever happens next, Rushey Green will always be home.

08/05/2026

While others said it couldn’t be done, Labour in Lewisham got on and built council homes again.

Since 2018, more than 2,102 additional social rent homes have been started or delivered through direct and partner delivery across our borough.

That is one of the biggest council housing programmes in Lewisham for a generation.

And during the 2022–2026 administration, Labour exceeded our manifesto pledge of delivering 800 new social (council rent) homes, despite soaring construction costs, inflation, higher interest rates and major changes to building safety rules.

Because for Labour, housing is not an abstract political debate.

It is about whether local families can afford to stay in the communities they grew up in.
It is about whether children grow up in overcrowded temporary accommodation.
It is about whether working people can still build a life in London.

This has included:
• Building new council homes at social rent
• Buying back homes lost through Right to Buy
• Unlocking difficult and underused sites
• Working with partners to maximise genuinely affordable housing

A huge thank you to the officers, housing teams, planners, contractors and delivery partners who have worked incredibly hard to make this happen.

There is still much more to do. But this is what Labour local government looks like:

Delivering real homes for local people, not just headlines.

07/05/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧.

Over the last four years we’ve worked to bring investment, activity and pride back into Catford and our local neighbourhoods.

That includes:

• Restoring Catford House
• Securing the return of the cinema
• Reopening Catford Broadway Theatre after a £7m restoration
• Delivering a bigger seven-day Catford Library
• Securing step-free access at Catford Station
• Investing in cleaner streets and new street trees
• Protecting and improving our parks
• Delivering 100% affordable homes at Thomas Lane Yard
• Securing a new Goldsmiths University campus in Catford

This election is a choice.

Between people who believe Catford’s best days are ahead of it, and people who simply want to tell you everything is broken.

We know there is still more to do. But Labour has a record of delivery locally, and a plan to keep moving Rushey Green forward. And now for the first time in 14 years we have a Labour Government keeping a Labour Council is even more important.

Polls are open until 10pm.

05/05/2026

The Labour Party is delivering the positive change Britain needs after all those years of Conservative misrule.

01/05/2026

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦 👇

Would these changes actually help in practice?

Over the last few years, I’ve heard the same issues come up locally:
• being asked to leave with little notice
• bidding wars pushing rents up
• high upfront costs just to move
• not feeling secure in your own home

Today the Government enact the new Renters Rights act that aims to tackle that:

• No more no-fault evictions
• No rental bidding wars
• Rent increases limited to once a year
• Upfront rent capped
• Right to request a pet

𝐎𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.

Locally, we’re also backing this up by:
• landlord licensing to raise standards
• action against rogue landlords
• delivering more genuinely affordable homes

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦, 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞?

01/05/2026

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

Right now, too many private renters are dealing with insecurity, rising costs, and a system that just isn’t fair.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟖𝟑,𝟐𝟎𝟓 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦.

Here’s what that means in real terms:

• No more no-fault evictions
• No more rental bidding wars
• No more being locked into unfair fixed terms
• Rent increases limited to once per year
• Upfront rent capped at one month
• The right to request a pet

This is about stability, fairness, and control over your own home.

Because renting shouldn’t mean living with constant uncertainty.

And locally, we’re backing this up by:
• Driving up standards through landlord licensing
• Taking action against rogue landlords
• Delivering more genuinely affordable homes

There’s a clear choice:
Go backwards to a system that favoured landlords
Or keep moving forward with stronger rights for renters

𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫

29/04/2026

People were asking how to 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 action here.

They shouldn’t have to.

A few weeks ago, residents raised serious concerns about the garages and car park next to the Weavers Estate allotments.

• Fly-tipping.
• Broken garages.
• Anti-social behaviour.

And a growing sense that the area was being left to deteriorate.

That’s not acceptable. ❌

So when this was raised with me, I took it up directly and made sure it got sorted.

Now look at the result:

• Garages secured and repaired
• Locked barrier installed to stop misuse
• Full site cleared of fly-tipping
• Regular cleaning and monitoring now in place

This isn’t just a one-off clean-up.
It’s been put on a footing to stop the problem coming straight back.

I also joined CoCo Collective and local allotmenteers to help clean up the wider area, backing the volunteers already improving their community.

This is what local leadership should look like:

𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 → 𝐚𝐜𝐭 → 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫

Cleaner. Safer. Better.

If you want a councillor who gets results you can actually see:

Vote Lewisham Labour on May 7th.

26/04/2026

☀️ Great day yesterday out in the sun, filled with warm conversations with voters who can see the positive Labour difference here in Lewisham and will be lending us their vote on May 7th!

Vote Labour in and across

🔗 Read Lewisham Labour’s full manifesto www.lewishamlabour.com/manifesto

24/04/2026

🌹 Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham endorses Amanda De Ryk and Lewisham Labour’s work

24/04/2026

9 likes, 3 comments. "Labour’s UNCENSORED Broadcast: what Reform didn’t want you to see"

James-J Walsh

09/05/2026

08/05/2026

07/05/2026

05/05/2026

01/05/2026

01/05/2026

29/04/2026

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