Youngest-ever Haringey mayor aims to highlight 'epidemic' of poor mental health

Crouch End councillor Lester Buxton was chosen by Labour councillors to take on the borough’s top civic role, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

New mayor Lester Buxton with outgoing mayor Gina Adamou (credit Haringey Council)

The youngest-ever mayor of Haringey has pledged to highlight an “epidemic” of poor mental health affecting young people during his time in office.

Lester Buxton, who represents Crouch End, said it would be his “priority” to “hear and listen to the voices of young people in our borough” after being elected mayor at the age of 27.

He follows in the footsteps of Gina Adamou, who became the borough’s joint-longest-serving mayor after her fourth term in office came to a close.

After his election during the council’s annual general meeting on Monday, Cllr Buxton announced his chosen charity as Open Door and said: “We know that many young people are living with poor mental health and are really struggling to manage in what is a very difficult time.

“By supporting Open Door, which treats young people from ages twelve to 24, I will not only raise much-needed funds but will use my mayoralty to highlight this not-so-hidden epidemic, and to raise the profile of this wonderful charity at the heart of our borough.”

Cllr Buxton also pledged to do everything he can to encourage young people to register to vote and ensure they know how to get appropriate forms of ID, after it was made a requirement for voting by the government.

He said it was important for the mayor to be active on social media and he would “work with officers to set this up”, but added that did not mean he would be “doing TikTok dances in my mayoral robes”.

Born at The Whittington Hospital and brought up in Crouch End, Cllr Buxton attended Muswell Hill Primary School and Highgate Wood Secondary School.

He gained an undergraduate degree in physics from the University of Bath and a PhD in theoretical and quantum mechanics from the University of Surrey, where he studied the effects of noise on quantum decoherence in biological systems.

Lester handed in his thesis just one week before the 2022 local election when he became ward councillor for Crouch End. He now works in the tech industry.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, Cllr Buxton said becoming the youngest-ever mayor was “a bit daunting”, but he hoped he could live up to the expectations of the role.

He added: “I think we saw a great example two years ago from Cllr [Adam] Jogee, when he was mayor. He was very active, and I think that he just brought something different to the mayoralty, and I hope I can reflect that as well.”

Ajda Ovat, who represents Northumberland Park, is the borough’s new deputy mayor. She takes over the role from Cllr Buxton, who served as Cllr Adamou’s deputy.

Cllr Buxton added: “I feel like I have had good training with [Cllr Adamou] – she has just been fantastic – whether it has been shadowing her at events or just sitting in meetings with her discussing aspects of her approach to Haringey.”

For more information on Open Door:
Visit opendooronline.org

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