Keith Moffitt is a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
Liberal DemocratThe Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems or just Liberals, are a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party; the two parties had been in alliance for seven years, from shortly after the formation of...
local governmentLocal governments are administrative office that are smaller than a state. The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government....
PoliticianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
. He has been a
CouncillorA councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council. Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman...
for
West HampsteadWest Hampstead is an area in northwestern Greater London, England, situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal, Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to the east, Kilburn to the south-west, and South Hampstead to the south. Until the late 19th century, the locale was a small village...
since 1994, and in the local elections of May 2006 became the first ever Liberal Democrat
LeaderA leader is one who influences others.Leader may also refer to:- Media :* Leader , a fictional character from Marvel Comics* Leader , a 1964 Hindi film starring Dilip Kumar* The Leader...
of
Camden CouncilThe London Borough of Camden is a borough of London, England, which forms part of Inner London. The southern reaches of Camden form part of Central London.-History:...
, ending
Labour'sThe Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
35 year hold on the borough.
Moffitt speaks fluent French, German and Portuguese. In 2004 he ran in the
European electionsElections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom...
to represent
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in the
European ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union , it forms the bicameral legislative branch of the Union's institutions and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Before becoming leader of the council Moffitt worked as a
translatorTranslation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text, likewise called a "translation," that communicates the same message in another language...
, and is Vice-Chair of the
Chartered Institute of LinguistsThe Chartered Institute of LinguistsTranslation, Interpretation, Membership and Examinations.Founded in 1910, by Sir Lacon Threlford, the initial aim of the Institute was to encourage the acquisition of other languages by UK citizens, but this changed after WW II when due to the large number of...
.
He previously had a 20-year career with
British Coalthumb|right|British Coal company logoThe British Coal Corporation was a nationalised corporation in the United Kingdom responsible for the extraction of coal...
, working in International Relations and European Community affairs, and was Chairman of the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
Working Party on Coal Trade from 1986 to 1992.
In 2006 Moffitt suspended his professional career in order to focus on his new role leading Camden Council.
Moffitt campaigned on a platform of freezing the
Council TaxCouncil Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
in his first year of office and, together with his
ConservativeThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
coalition partners, has honored this pledge through the Council's "Better and Cheaper" agenda.
Keith Moffitt is a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
Liberal DemocratThe Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems or just Liberals, are a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party; the two parties had been in alliance for seven years, from shortly after the formation of...
local governmentLocal governments are administrative office that are smaller than a state. The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government....
PoliticianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
. He has been a
CouncillorA councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council. Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman...
for
West HampsteadWest Hampstead is an area in northwestern Greater London, England, situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal, Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to the east, Kilburn to the south-west, and South Hampstead to the south. Until the late 19th century, the locale was a small village...
since 1994, and in the local elections of May 2006 became the first ever Liberal Democrat
LeaderA leader is one who influences others.Leader may also refer to:- Media :* Leader , a fictional character from Marvel Comics* Leader , a 1964 Hindi film starring Dilip Kumar* The Leader...
of
Camden CouncilThe London Borough of Camden is a borough of London, England, which forms part of Inner London. The southern reaches of Camden form part of Central London.-History:...
, ending
Labour'sThe Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
35 year hold on the borough.
Moffitt speaks fluent French, German and Portuguese. In 2004 he ran in the
European electionsElections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom...
to represent
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in the
European ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union , it forms the bicameral legislative branch of the Union's institutions and has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Career
Before becoming leader of the council Moffitt worked as a
translatorTranslation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text, likewise called a "translation," that communicates the same message in another language...
, and is Vice-Chair of the
Chartered Institute of LinguistsThe Chartered Institute of LinguistsTranslation, Interpretation, Membership and Examinations.Founded in 1910, by Sir Lacon Threlford, the initial aim of the Institute was to encourage the acquisition of other languages by UK citizens, but this changed after WW II when due to the large number of...
.
He previously had a 20-year career with
British Coalthumb|right|British Coal company logoThe British Coal Corporation was a nationalised corporation in the United Kingdom responsible for the extraction of coal...
, working in International Relations and European Community affairs, and was Chairman of the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
Working Party on Coal Trade from 1986 to 1992.
In 2006 Moffitt suspended his professional career in order to focus on his new role leading Camden Council.
Policies
Moffitt campaigned on a platform of freezing the
Council TaxCouncil Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
in his first year of office and, together with his
ConservativeThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
coalition partners, has honored this pledge through the Council's "Better and Cheaper" agenda. This cost-cutting programme has attracted significant criticism from the opposition Labour party.
External links