Your candidates in Dalston

Zoë Garbett

Zoë Garbett is a Green Party councillor, London Assembly Member, and experienced public servant, standing to be the next Mayor of Hackney with a bold, community-led vision for justice, fairness and change. Zoë spent over a decade working in the councils and the NHS, tackling health inequalities, transforming services, and leading on care and safeguarding for people let down and excluded by institutions. These experiences, and the systemic failures she has seen up close, are what drove her into politics.

At City Hall, Zoë leads for the Greens on Policing, Housing, and Planning - three of the most urgent areas affecting Londoners today. She is a leading voice for renters’ rights, calling for rent controls, stronger protections and enforcement action on bad landlords. From challenging power to putting forward tangible recommendations to the Mayor of London, Zoë has worked hard to help build a London that works for the many, not just the wealthy few.

As a Green Councillor in Dalston, Zoë helped organise the Save Ridley Road Market campaign, has supported Dalston’s independent night-time economy, fought school closures, and stood shoulder to shoulder with workers, unions and tenants. On Hackney Council, she’s helped transform the Greens from a small opposition voice to a serious political force, effectively scrutinising, building coalitions, and fighting for transparency and accountability across housing, climate, and public services.

In Hackney, Zoë and the Greens have forced a climate motion that brought forward Hackney’s net-zero target by 20 years, secured a Gaza ceasefire motion after months of Labour resistance, and pushed the council to finally consult on borough-wide landlord licensing to protect renters. Hackney Green councillors held the council to account on housing disrepair, defended local markets from overdevelopment, backed campaigns to protect schools and childcare, and won reforms to Hackney’s advertising policy to ban high-carbon and exploitative content. They’ve consistently supported community-led campaigns and shown what real local democracy can look like.

Zoë says, “Hackney can be a borough that works for everyone, prioritising decent housing, strong public services, and a local economy rooted in community wellbeing”.

Rachel Nkiessu-Guifo

Rachel Nkiessu-Guifo has lived in Hackney for 20 years and has been based in Ridley Road Shopping Village for over a decade, returning following redevelopment to continue her work in the heart of the market. She has worked across public services and the creative industries, combining statutory knowledge with operational delivery experience.

When both of her children were out of school following failures in joined-up services and statutory process, Rachel became a full-time parent carer, deepening her understanding of equalities law, safeguarding and coordinated decision making. She remains committed to strengthening access to the law and ensuring residents can exercise their rights.

Rachel believes Dalston needs clear leadership and inclusive growth. As she says, “Ridley Road and Gillett Square deserve clear standards, confident management and a future that works for the whole community.”