Darren Johnson

Councillor in Lewisham

It was more than 20 years ago, after the Chernobyl disaster, that I thought I needed to get involved and try to make a better future for the world. It was on the back of that and through proportional representation I got to represent my party in the London Assembly. It was after that I became a councillor in Lewisham.

Now, I'm a full time Assembly Member and councillor. It would have been good to cut my teeth in local government before the regional, but they keep me very busy and are a good combination - the strategic and London wide along with the local, detailed perspective.

My partner is a councillor as well. I'm the slow burn and he's more the big bang. We make a good team and have a shared understanding of what's involved.

We always try to have one night a week together at home and try to prioritise, although we are on first name terms with the local takeaways. In my spare time I try to spend time at home, listening to my music and sorting out my mind.

In my first meeting after being elected, I proposed a motion to reverse the plans to demolish a local pool which was causing uproar. It passed by one vote. It was great to be able to show local people that their actions could make change happen.