OBE for Islington councillor

ISLINGTON councillor Meral Ece has been awarded the OBE in the New Year Honours for her services to local government.

Cllr Ece, who was born in Islington, became one of the UK’s first female Turkish councillors when she was elected in 1994.

In 2002 she was elected a councillor for Mildmay Ward in Islington, serving as Executive Member for Health and Social Services from 2002-6, and currently serves as chair of the council’s Overview & Scrutiny.

Meral has had the opportunity to experience both sides of council life - her very first job was as a Saturday library assistant working for Islington Council’s library service in the 1970s. She continued working for the council as a full time employee before becoming a councillor, first in Hackney for eight years and then in Islington.

Cllr Ece said: “The letter telling me I'd been awarded an OBE came totally out of the blue. It was a complete surprise.

“Local government plays such an important role in people's lives, and I am honoured to have served the people of Islington where I was born and where my family settled over 50 years ago.

“This is something I never thought would happen to me – it's totally unexpected, but a huge privilege.”

Cllr Ece was appointed by Harriet Harman MP, Minister for Women and Equalities, to serve on the Cross-Party Government Equalities Task Force, which aims to increase the number of women councillors from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Cllr James Kempton, Leader of Islington Council, said: “This is richly deserved and a fitting tribute to Meral’s service to Islington.

“She broke down a barrier to became one of the first Turkish women councillors, and is still working hard to encourage women from all backgrounds to have a voice in public life.”

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