Jenny Jones (Green politician)

Jenny Jones AM is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales. She represents the Green Party in the Greater London Assembly (GLA) and was Deputy Mayor of London from May 2003 to June 2004. She is also the sole Green councillor on Southwark Council.

Early life and career
Before entering politics, Jones worked as financial controller in London. She attended University College London as a mature student, studying archaeology. She spent about ten years as an archaeologist in the Middle East, apparently "specialising in analysing ancient bird droppings", before embarking on a career in politics.

Political career
Jones joined the Green Party in 1988. She has held several posts within the party, including the position of Chair on the Green Party Executive from 1995 to 1997.

In 2000, Jones was elected to the inaugural Greater London Assembly as part of a three-strong Green Group, including Cllr. Darren Johnson AM and Victor Anderson (who resigned in March 2003 and was replaced by Noel Lynch for the remainder of the term). The 2004 GLA elections would see the Greens lose the seat held by Lynch, leaving Jones and Johnson as the two remaining members of the Green Group. Jones is now the Green Group's Convenor.

In May 2003, the Green Party accepted an offer from the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, to nominate a Deputy Mayor and chose Jones, who held the post until June 2004. The London Green Party had originally been split on the decision before eventually agreeing to nominate Jones. The offer was part of Livingstone's pledge to rotate the position of Deputy Mayor, although he later declined to offer the post to the Conservatives and had an offer to the Liberal Democrats turned down.

As a GLA member, Jones is the Mayor's Road Safety Ambassador and Green Transport Advisor, focusing on road safety and campaigning to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on London's roads. She is also Chair of London Food, a mayoral commission which "aims to give Londoners fresher, healthier and more affordable food while reducing the environmental impact of our current food supply". As Chair, Jones was responsible for drawing up the Sustainable Food Strategy for London and now also chairs the Food Implementation Group overseeing the strategy. She is or has been a member of the Budget Committee, the Business Management and Appointments Committee and the Metropolitan Police Authority.

In the 2006 local elections, Jones was elected as a councillor for the South Camberwell ward in the London Borough of Southwark, the Greens' first councillor in Southwark. She came third in the ward, polling 1014 votes. In the 2005 General Election, she stood in the Dulwich and West Norwood parliamentary constituency, coming fourth with 2,741 votes (6.5%).