Georgia Gould (politician)

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Cllr
Georgia Gould
Leader of Camden Council
Assumed office
17 May 2017
Preceded bySarah Hayward
Member of Camden Council
for Kentish Town South
Kentish Town (2010–2022)
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Personal details
Born
Georgia Anne Rebuck Gould

(1986-05-18) 18 May 1986 (age 38)
Political partyLabour
Parents
EducationCamden School for Girls
Alma materSt Catherine's College, Oxford
London School of Economics
WebsiteOfficial website

Georgia Anne Rebuck Gould (born May 1986)[1] is a British Labour Party politician serving as Leader of Camden Council since 2017.[2] A councillor since 2010, she has chaired the London Councils association since 2020.[3]

Early life[edit]

Gould is the daughter of fellow politician Philip Gould, Baron Gould of Brookwood, who died in 2011.[4][5] Her mother is Gail Rebuck, chair of Penguin Random House UK and a Labour peer. Through her mother, Georgia is Jewish.[6][4] She grew up in Kentish Town;[7] she and her younger sister, Grace, attended a local semi-comprehensive secondary school, Camden School for Girls.[5][8]

Gould studied history and politics at St Catherine's College, Oxford,[9] and holds a master's degree in global politics from the London School of Economics.[10][11]

Career[edit]

Aged 24, Gould became a Labour councillor for Kentish Town on Camden London Borough Council in the 2010 elections.[5][12] She became the leader of Camden Council in May 2017.[13] Following boundary changes, Gould has represented Kentish Town South since 2022.[14]

In April 2012, Gould lost out in her attempt to become the Labour candidate for Erith and Thamesmead, a safe seat for the party, with Teresa Pearce being selected instead. "I was the victim of a well orchestrated and vicious smear campaign," Gould said. "Every day, I'd wake to articles in the media, and they came from both the Left and the Right, assailing me for being too rich, too young, too inexperienced, but mostly — too well connected." According to Gould, amongst the "lies" were that Tony Blair's former spokesman Alastair Campbell was calling local party members on her behalf, and that she had engaged the services of an expensive public relations company to unfairly bolster her campaign.[15]

Gould authored the book Wasted: How Misunderstanding Young Britain Threatens Our Future, which was published by Little, Brown Book Group in February 2015.[16] Reviewing it in The Observer, Bidisha described the book as "an easy-to-read manifesto that debunks the derogatory tabloid stereotype of useless, narcissistic hoodies, thugs, yobs and chavs." Bidisha wrote that Wasted was "inspiring", whilst noting of Gould that "she is not a natural writer and Wasted has a tendency to sound like a standard, sweeping speech".[17]

Personal life[edit]

Gould is an active member of West London Synagogue, a Reform shul.[6] She married Alex Zatman, a civil servant, at the synagogue in September 2021, in a service conducted by Baroness Julia Neuberger.[18] Gould took maternity leave from public office in autumn 2023.[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Foster, Dawn (26 June 2017). "After Grenfell: two councils, two very different responses". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Loading..." Camden New Journal. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  3. ^ "London Councils Chair and Executive confirmed at "important moment for our city" | London Councils". beta.londoncouncils.gov.uk. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b Susannah Butter (26 September 2016). "Camden council leader Georgia Gould: 'Dad gave me strong values'". The Standard. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Tim Adams. "Philip Gould: a good life and death | Politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  6. ^ a b Harpin, Lee. "Jewish social activism guides my political work, says council leader". The JC. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Cllr Georgia Gould". Camden Labour. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Georgia Gould selected for Camden seat". The Standard. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  9. ^ Pierce, Andrew (15 April 2009). "Tony Blair's supporters in vote rigging row". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  10. ^ "Mother said 'I don't want you in that dirty world of politics'". The Standard. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  11. ^ RSA (26 March 2015). "Georgia Gould". RSA. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  12. ^ Teale, Andrew. "Kentish Town Ward". Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  13. ^ Burns, Iain. "Georgia Gould elected as new Camden Council leader". Hampstead Highgate Express.
  14. ^ "Local election results 5th May 2022". Camden Council. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  15. ^ Murphy, Joe; Cohen, David (12 April 2012). "FOCUS: Georgia Gould tells of election sabotage and smears". Evening Standard. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  16. ^ Gould, Georgia (5 March 2015). Wasted: How Misunderstanding Young Britain Threatens Our Future. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 978-1-4055-2229-8.
  17. ^ Mamata, Bidisha (16 February 2015). "Wasted: How Misunderstanding Young Britain Threatens Our Future review – Georgia Gould's faith in change". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Dance Me To The End Of Love: Council leader Georgia Gould marries Alex Zatman". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Council leader Georgia Gould expecting baby". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
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