Sadiq Khan and David Lammy have led tributes to Nicky Gavron, Ken Livingstone’s former deputy mayor who has died aged 82.
Ms Gavron was regarded as a visionary in campaigning for action on London’s poor air quality long before the issue became high profile, and a keen advocate for the congestion charge, Mr Livingstone’s flagship policy that he introduced in 2003.
She was primarily an expert on planning, and was said to have helped shape the capital’s development over decades via her input on the London Plan, the mayor’s citywide planning blueprint, and earlier work leading organisations such as the London Planning Advisory Committee and London Research Centre.
First elected as a Haringey councillor in 1986, she was among leading figures working for the return of London government in the wake of the demise of the Greater London Council.
With the election of the Labour government in 1997, she finally got her wish – and was elected to the London Assembly in the inaugural 2000 elections – becoming Mr Livingstone’s deputy for seven of his eight years in power.
She remained an assembly member until 2021, securing her reputation as a London Labour party grandee whose “charmingly persistent” approach to politics and wish to change the capital for the better ensured her popularity across the political spectrum.
She died at home last Friday. Her death was announced on her X/Twitter account.
Her funeral will be a private family funeral but a memorial service will be held at a later date.
Mr Khan said he was devastated to learn of her death. He posted: “Her service to our city was immeasurable, as a councillor, deputy mayor and assembly member.
“To me, she was not just a kind and generous friend, but also a teacher and a mentor. Her commitment to tackling climate change inspired many, and she pioneered many of the policies that have led London to be the world leader it is today.”
Nicky's family is very sad to announce that she has died. She passed away peacefully at home on 30th August.
— Nicky Gavron (@nickygavron) August 31, 2024
Foreign Secretary Mr Lammy, who knew Ms Gavron as a fellow Haringey politician and through his brief time as an assembly member, described her as “a stalwart of London and Haringey politics, she was a life force at City Hall”.
He posted: “Passionate about the climate emergency, the built environment and urban planning she improved the lives of so many people. Generous, kind and engaging she will be hugely missed.”
Jonny Popper, chief executive of the London Communications Agency, who worked for Ms Gavron at the London Planning Advisory Group and London Research Centre, told the Standard: “She was a visionary for London government, an inspiration to many and her passing is a great loss to London.”
His colleague Robert Gordon Clark, who hosted Ms Gavron at a private dinner only a month ago, said: “She was charmingly persistent. She had a reputation for really pushing things, but to do it in an incredibly charming, knowledgeable and effective way.”
Others credited Ms Gavron, who lived in Highgate, with “keeping the fire burning” for London government in the “wilderness years” between the dissolution of the GLC and the launch of the Greater London Authority.
Her mother was a Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Germany in 1936.
Bianca Jagger, the campaigner and former actor, said: “I am deeply saddened to learned that my dear friend Nicky Gavron passed away. She was an outstanding woman, a champion of the environment.”
Labour MP Florence Eshalomi: “Nicky was a great font of knowledge during my time at City Hall, with a quick sharp brain on everything relating to housing and planning.”She was a loyal deputy to Mr Livingstone, who had served his first term as mayor as an independent. She was lined up by the Labour party as its 2004 mayoral candidate but stood aside when Mr Livingstone re-joined the party.
Mr Livingstone, who had replaced her as deputy mayor with the Green assembly member Jenny Jones for a year, reinstated her as his deputy for all four years of his second term.
At City Hall she had a reputation as a policy expert rather than an enthusiast for the “Punch and Judy” style of politics. On occasion, she would use assembly meetings to pursue niche environmental topics such as anaerobic digestion.
In 2017 she was among 1,000 Jewish Labour members who condemned the party’s decision not to expel Mr Livingstone for remarks linking Hitler and Zionism.
As a Haringey councillor she cut her teeth campaigning against the proposed widening of the Archway Road - which forms part of the A1. She was also a huge supporter of the Jackson’s Lane community centre and the wider London arts scene.
In her later years Ms Gavron suffered from declining eyesight but continued to attend assembly meetings, by then at the new City Hall in the Royal Docks.
Len Duvall, leader of the Labour group on the London Assembly, said: “Nicky devoted her life to public service in London.
“Nicky was full of energy and determined to improve people's lives. She brought incredible knowledge on planning and the environment. She had a gift in connecting people, spreading ideas and making things happen.
“A creative thinker and great colleague who made a huge impact in the early days of the GLA. She left her mark on our city; on its buildings and landscape. But even more so on the people she knew. An inspirational, warm force for good.”
Joanne McCartney, who succeeded her as the assembly member for Enfield & Haringey, said: “She was an inspiration, especially on climate change and environmental policy - she led whilst others followed. Always helpful and kind.”
Ms Gavron married Robert Gavron in 1967 but divorced in 1987. She is survived by their adult daughters Jessica and Sarah.
