Newly elected councillors speak on their initial reactions and plans for office

AFTER the buzz of elections Roar spoke to some of the newly elected councillors on their plans for office. 

Anthony Shaw – Council Chair

“I ran on an apolitical slate. I’m not there to give a political standpoint on anything. I’m just there to facilitate debate and to look at the bureaucracy on council.

“I’ve got a lot of good plans on how to make council more active and much more direct in solving student issues.

“It’s been a really good election. We’ve seen a turn out that’s been far above what it has been in the past. It shows that student politics is working and council is getting results for students.”

Alberto Torres – Environment and Ethics Officer

“Obviously, the fossil industry makes money for the university in terms of investment, so it’s hard to divest. We’re not expecting an easy fight. There is a lot to be done.

“Glasgow already divested from the fossil fuel industry, which proves that it is possible. We want to be the first university in London to do so. We really hope that the university, in its commit to be more ethical and more sustainable, will divest.”

Jamie Sweeney – NUS Delegate

“I think NUS is the best platform we have to campaign on student issues national. That’s what I plan to do, particularly around free education. I think a majority of the students in the nation want free education, and the platform to do that, to have our voice to be heard, is through NUS.

“In terms of the people who perhaps aren’t quite so happy with NUS, in terms of catering to them, council is there for everyone. If someone wants to put a motion forward to say we should have a referendum on NUS, I don’t see why they cant put that forward as a council motion.”

Sebastiaan Debrouwere – KCLSU President (student officer)

“We’ve got a lot of engagement on campus, it was really visible…We’ve seen more people voting for more than one position, and really engaging any trying to take part, which I’m happy about.

“Our big hope with the officer team is that we can work this year in term of getting council to really become campaigners and help us solve [issues and] to really empower them and their communities to make change happen on campus.

“Council is here to help solve issues and make changes happen on campus.”

The full list of winners can be found here.