Introducing Camden’s new Mayor: Cllr Samata Khatoon
Councillor Samata Khatoon is the Mayor of Camden for 2024-2025. She has taken over from Councillor Rahman following the Mayor making ceremony at Camden Town Hall, with Councillor Eddie Hanson being named as the new Deputy Mayor of Camden.
Before becoming a Councillor in 2010 Councillor Khatoon – mother of three children - worked locally as a youth worker and a family support worker.
Councillor Khatoon has held several voluntary roles in Camden including as a Trustee of New Horizon Youth Centre, Trustee St Pancras Welfare Trust, Parent Governor at Edith Neville Primary School, Treasurer at Bangla Shur and Women’s Officer at The Chunarughat Association. She is also currently a Governor at the Working Men’s College.
During her Mayoral year, Councillor Khatoon will be working tirelessly to ensure that every young person can grow and achieve their ambitions, regardless of their background.
I am particularly focused on supporting young people who are at risk of homelessness, the impact on young people, which is profound, and championing the positive impact of introducing young people to the world of arts, which has a remarkable ability to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and imagination.
In Camden we are passionate about supporting young people to flourish. Which is why, through our Youth Mission, we have set ourselves the goal of ensuring all young people in the borough have access to safe and secure economic opportunity.
I will be an advocate for this mission during my mayoral year, particularly supporting those young people at risk of homelessness.
To this end, I have chosen to support two local charities that seek to improve the lives of young people. Scene & Heard work with Arts professionals to develop self-esteem, literacy, and communication skills to raise the aspirations and confidence of young people, while New Horizon Youth Centre raises awareness of the issue of young homelessness, focusing on key areas such as housing, health, life skills and safety.
Rosalind Paul MBE, Scene & Heard CEO & Artistic Director said:
“We are delighted to have been chosen as one of Mayor Samata Khatoon’s charities this year. For 25 years, we have been dedicated to empowering local children through the arts, building confidence and inspiring creativity, helping them to discover the power of their own imagination and where it can take them.”
Phil Kerry, New Horizon Youth Centre CEO said:
“We are delighted to be a Mayoral charity this year which comes at a crucial time as more and more young people turn to us for support. The support these next twelve months will be crucial in ensuring we raise funds for but also much needed awareness of youth homelessness.”
Councillor Khatoon’s husband Mohammed Saj will be her Consort.
- Scene & Heard is an award-winning arts mentoring charity that has been working in Somers Town since 1999. Using one to one mentoring and the power of live theatre, they improve the prospects and educational outcomes of children in our borough.
- New Horizon Youth Centre based in Somers Town, support young people aged 16-24 to overcome the barriers life has put in their way and solve their homelessness for good. Services provided include expert help in health, safety, youth work, and, of course, housing.