New deputy speaker appointed following previous incumbent’s child sexual assault charge

New deputy speaker Cllr Sharon Patrick. Photograph: Hackney Council

A new deputy speaker has been appointed to Hackney Council after the previous incumbent was charged with sexually assaulting a child.

Cllr Sharon Patrick, who has occupied the role of speaker twice before, was the only Labour councillor to be put forward.

It follows the resignation of Lee Laudat-Scott, who was last week charged with two sexual assaults – one of a boy under the age of 13 and another of a man in Islington.

Laudat-Scott was elected as deputy speaker in May and served in the role until his resignation – which came just days before his arrest was made public.

Deputy Mayor Anntoinette Bramble said of Cllr Patrick: “She has a myriad of experience, and a knowledge of where Hackney’s been and where it’s going.”

“She’s done the job before and she’ll do it [again] with aplomb,” said Cllr Lynne Troughton.

Patrick, who is known as the mother of the house, has been a councillor for 39 years.

In this time, she has represented three wards. Currently, she is one of three Labour councillors for Kings Park.

“She’s been fighting the good fight since before I was born,” said her ward colleague, Cllr Ali Sadek.

After donning the deputy speaker’s robes, Cllr Patrick said she was “humbled and proud”, and “promised to support” Speaker Sheila Suso-Runge.

In a pointed remark, Cllr Patrick also vowed “not to resign and cause a by-election”.

Cazenove’s Conservative councillor Ian Sharer was also put forward for the role of deputy speaker.

 “This is one of the only boroughs were everything gets taken by the leading party,” said Conservative whip Cllr Simche Steinberger when nominating his colleague.

The Hackney Socialist Independent Group and the Green Party’s co-leader Cllr Zoë Garbett abstained from voting for either candidate. Garbett’s fellow Green co-leader Cllr Alastair Binnie-Lubbock backed Cllr Sharer.