Grace has worked in public services over her whole career – as a civil servant developing social policy, as a teacher in East London schools and as a councillor since 2014. After having children, she was inspired to stand as a councillor after recognising the importance of excellent local services for children and young people. Grace was cabinet member for children and families, leading on the council’s efforts to significantly improve life chances for children in the borough.  Grace was elected Leader of Waltham Forest in 2021, navigating the council through pandemic recovery, the cost of living crisis and work to put the council on a firm financial footing. As Leader, Grace has developed a new Borough strategy, Mission Waltham Forest which seeks to address fundamental inequalities and builds strong relationships in the community to promote resilience and tackle the boroughs toughest challenges from climate change to housing, ageing to community safety. Grace is the Deputy Chair of London Councils and Executive Member for Housing and Regeneration, focusing on how we drive investment in house building and address the housing emergency across London. Grace is the current chair of the Growth Borough Partnership for the Olympic Boroughs and also acts a member peer and mentor for the Local Government Association.