Mayor Shrivastava Appoints New Lewisham Cabinet and Outlines Key Priorities

Mayor Liam Shrivastava has announced his new cabinet for Lewisham Council, following the recent election. The appointments were confirmed during a Council meeting held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, as detailed in the Public reports pack.

The overarching goal of the new administration is to rebuild trust between the Council and its residents and to deliver hope through tangible improvements in people's daily lives. This will be achieved by restoring pride in our borough by addressing the visible issues that affect people's daily life, such as fly-tipping and waste management, and by taking bold action on housing and reshaping the local economy.

To address fly-tipping and waste management specifically, the administration will take a more practical and coordinated approach to this challenge, strengthening enforcement, improving waste systems on estates, and working directly with communities to tackle problem areas and beautify them by encouraging community gardening. This is aimed at restoring confidence that the council is responsive and on the side of residents.

The new cabinet members and their portfolios are:

• Councillor Rudi Schmidt: Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Economic Development.
• Councillor Ade Adewunmi: Cabinet Member for Strategy, Performance and Digital Transformation.
• Councillor Daniel Dream: Cabinet Member for Inclusive Regeneration, Planning and Housing Delivery.
• Councillor Natalie Thomas: Cabinet Member for Safer Homes, Homelessness and Housing Services.
• Councillor Rotimi Skyers: Cabinet Member for Children, SEND, Youth Empowerment and Culture.
• Councillor Samantha Gardiner: Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care.
• Councillor Hau-Yu Tam: Cabinet Member for Communities, Sanctuary and Healing.
• Councillor Shireen Asaw: Cabinet Member for Workers, Business and Skills.
• Councillor Corin Ashwell: Cabinet Member for Environment, Nature, Transport and Climate Action.

Mayor Shrivastava also emphasised a commitment to rebuilding trust by bringing back Lewisham People's Day as a borough-wide celebration of our communities, our culture, and our shared future to strengthen community life and civic pride.

The meeting also confirmed the existing scheme of delegation in the Constitution for executive functions. While no explicit mention of changes in departmental structures was made, the portfolio assignments indicate the key areas of focus for the new administration. Further details can be found in the Agenda frontsheet.