Natalie Capbells bid for London mayor

Social entrepreneur Natalie Campbell bid for London mayor

Social entrepreneur Natalie Campbell felt that none of the main political parties were listening to the needs of ordinary Londoners.

Mayoral candidate Natalie Campbell was interviewed at Chalkhill Community Radio to address the young people of Brent, urging them to vote and share their desires on their social channels to engage with politicians and hold them accountable.

Raised in northwest London by her Windrush Generation Jamaican grandparents, Campbell started her career as an entrepreneur early. So she decided to take action. During election seasons.

The real-world experience of running successful social enterprises is something that Natalie Campbell, standing as an independent in the forthcoming London Mayoral elections, believes she can bring to the office of Mayor if elected on May 2nd. She successfully launched her first business before she was 20. Her journey in social enterprise began when she co-founded A Very Good Company (AVGC), a global social innovation agency with the ethos of doing good and spreading good, which worked with major brands such as Virgin Media and Marks and Spencer.

From 2011 to 2018, AVGC worked with businesses and stakeholders, co-creating campaigns related to health, employment rights, and the environment. As a non-executive director, she chaired the Nominet Trust and National Council for Voluntary Youth Service and served on various boards, including UnLtd and Big Lottery Fund UK. Campbell’s social impact also extended to serving on Sadiq Khan’s London Economic Action Partnership and her work as a Civil Service Commissioner.

Now the co-CEO of sustainable drinks company Belu Water and chancellor of the University of Westminster since 2022, she believes her plan to approach the job of Mayor like a CEO who runs a major corporation will usher in an era of transparent governance, free from what she sees as the self-serving actions of career politicians. Her singular focus, as she states in her manifesto, is taking a “zero B.S. approach to rebuilding London”.

Campbell’s election campaign pledges focus on nurturing neighbourhoods, safer streets, and community cohesion. She emphasizes holistic solutions to London’s housing shortages, innovative policing schemes, and sustainable transport for the capital. She plans to establish 320 new neighbourhood centers, each housing 1,300 police officers, a policy aimed at putting officers back into local communities. She aims to reallocate parts of the Mayor’s policing budget to establish youth centers and mental health support for young people. On housing, she pledges to build 40,000 affordable homes, not just for purchase but also for rent.