National Executive

Andrew Pakes (Co-Chair)

Andrew is a Labour Councillor in the London Borough of Southwark where he is the Labour Group spokesperson on Environmental Protection. He is also the Labour & Co-operative Parliamentary Spokesperson for his home town of Milton Keynes North.

He works as a transport and environmental consultant, particularly focussing on local government and transport policy. His policy interests include: public transport; urban development; community involvement; and building links across the wider Labour movement.

For more information about Andrew visit www.andrewpakes.org.uk.

Justine Thornton (Co-Chair)
Justine provides advice on law and policy.

Tony Belton (Treasurer)

Labour councillor (Wandsworth) and Leader of the Labour Group for 25+ years. Interested in built environment and transport, hence member of planning committees, but also lead on housing, policy and finance committees. JP for 10 years, voluntary organisations, school governing bodies, etc.

SERA Treasurer following 10 years as Treasurer of Battersea Labour Party. Believe in the objective and hence happy to help out.

Tracy Carty (Built Environment Group Coordinator)
Tracy Carty is a Policy Officer at Green Alliance and has been a member of the Executive since June 2005. Tracy previously worked at The Environment Council, Defra and ODPM.

Leonie Cooper

Hugh Gouldbourne (Energy Group Coordinator)

Samantha Heath

Samantha is Director of London Sustainability Exchange; a groundbreaking voluntary organisation supporting the delivery of London as the sustainable world city. She is a member and former co-chair of the London Sustainable Development Commission and a member of the London Energy Partnership. She also sits on the Stratford City Environmental Review panel. Her experience includes ten years in London politics, eights years in academia and research and ten years in civil engineering.

Prior to joining LSX, Samantha was Sustainability Manager for Future London, the capital's regeneration centre of excellence. Until 2004 she was a Labour London-wide Assembly Member, Deputy Chair of the London Assembly and Chair of Assembly's Environment Committee. In 2003 she was the Mayor's representative on the Energy Taskforce- part of the London Sustainable Development Commission, and responsible for setting a carbon emission reduction target for London. In 2004 she became chair of the DTI/GLA London Renewables Group. As lead member for the Mayor on Londonw Waste Action she facilitated funding for London's waste awareness campaign.

She has written for various publications and speaks at conferences and seminars on waster, air quality, energy and other issues.

Additional Information
Samanatha trained as a Civil Engineer and worked for many years in the construction industry. She was a lecturer in design and construction management at the University of Greenwich until May 2000. Until she stood down in May 2002, Samantha was a Wandsworth Councillor and served on the Education, Housing and Environment committees from 1994, and was a lead member on housing in Wandsworth up until the May election for the GLA.

Jon Hitchin
Jon's role on the executive is to help establish a 'Young SERA' section, and attempt to ensure that SERA is the natural home for young people of the labour movement who are committed to a positive environmental agenda. He works in neighbourhood regeneration on one of the New Deal for Communities.

Lydia Meryll
Lydia is SERAs National Executive representitive to the Nuclear Decommisioning Authority, and specialises in nuclear waste issues.

Alon Or-Bach

David Redgewell
David Redgewell is a trained transport planner with experience working for British Rail and the National Bus Company. He is a transport campaigner with wide experience of local, regional and national government. He is a Wells CLP member and board member of SWLP. He has served on the Sera Executive for 4 years advising on regional transport policy.

Philippa Roberts (Waste Group Coordinator)
Philippa has a background in community and commercial waste services and works as an independent environmental consultant. She is a director of Ardvark Recycling - a social enterprise providing waste-based services and runs Low and Behold - a low-impact clothing company aiming to challenge attitudes to consumption.

Nicholas Russell

Nicholas is a disabled person and active campaigner for civil rights for disabled people. He is Co-Chair of the Labour Party Disabled Members Group a fellow Labour Party Socialist Society. Nicholas' responsibilities on the SERA Executive include equal opportunities and membership issues.

Professionally Nicholas Russell is a Campaigns Officer for the Royal National Institute of the Blind where his responsibilities include campaigning and parliamentary lobbying on transport issues. Nicholas is also Vice Chair of Transport 2000's Policy Council.

Channel Stevens

Jake Sumner

Romney Tansley

Martin Tiedeman
Martin has been a member of SERA for over 10 years since university. He has been a Labour Co-Op councillor in South London, leading on scrutiny of environmental performance and transport, and community involvement in sustainability and cycling. He now works for the Co-Operative Party.

Alex Veitch (Transport Group Coordinator)

Alex is Transport Coordinator on the SERA EC.

Alex is currently on a part-time secondment to the LowCVP, developing LowCVP strategy for the Integrated Approach to reducing CO2 from road transport. Alex is seconded from the Energy Saving Trust, where he is the Transport Strategy Manager, a post he has held since June 2003. Prior to joining EST he worked as the Energy and Transport Policy Officer for the RSPB, and previously in the United States as a Climate Change Campaigner for the Sierra Club.

Alex is a member of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership Passenger Cars Working Group, a member of the Advisory Group for the charity CarPlus, and a Director of SERA, an environmental campaign group.

Dave Wetzel, FRSA, FCILT

Dave is Vice-Chair Transport for London - promoting sustainable transport policy and Chair of the Safety, Health and Environment Committee. He is also Chair of the Professional Land Reform Group and the President of Labour Land Campaign - promoting Land Value Taxation to avoid urban sprawl.

Previously: TGWU Member, former busman, transport manager, Heathrow shop steward, Editor of Civil Aviation News, Chair GLC's Transport Committee, Leader of Hounslow Council, Director of DaRT, Management Committee Member for Capital Transport Campaign, Hounslow Community Transport, Hounslow Multi-Cultural Centre, President of London University's Transport Studies Society and Vice-Chair of a local Chamber of Commerce in Cornwall.

Alan Whitehead MP
Alan is MP for Southhampton Test, his special interests include the environment, energy and transport. He is Chair of the Associate Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group and Co-Chair of the Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Waste Group. Alan coordinates SERAs parliamentary work.

Daniel Zeichner

Daniel Zeichner is Policy and Campaigns Officer for UNISON Labour-Link, and a constituency representative for the East Of England on Labour's National Policy Forum.

As a former member of Labour's Policy Commission dealing with environmental issues his particular expertise is advising on how to make best use of Labour's policy process to secure SERA's policy objectives. As a Parliamentary candidate in a rural seat and former councillor, he takes a close interest in rural and food policy issues.