Pathway to Success: Tarik Khan and Sharon Thompson win councillor of the year awards

Tarik Khan and Sharon Thompson were named councillors of the year at the Small and Medium Enterprises for Labour Excellence Awards, last night. The pair were honoured at the 4th annual gala event for their work in their respective councils of Tower Hamlets and Birmingham.

Tarik Khan, who grew up in Tower Hamlets and is the vice-chair of the Spitalfields Neighbourhood Planning Forum, has been a councillor since 2018, while Thompson, whose affiliation with OBV spans nearly 15 years, has been involved in formal civic and political life for even longer.

She first became a magistrate, was elected to the Soho ward in 2014, and was recently made Cabinet Member for Vulnerable Children and Families. The pair joined the Pathway to Success cohort at Oxford Magdalen college in September but their upward trajectory, which had previously been recognised in their individual communities, has been recognised here.

It has been a promising fortnight for the 2021 Pathway to Success alumni. Less than two week ago, Josh Babarinde was confirmed as the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in Eastbourne and Willingdon at the next general election.

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