Sem Moema

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Sem Moema

| honorific-suffix = AM

| imagesize =

| alt =

| office = Member of the London Assembly
for North East

| term_start = 8 May 2021

| term_end =

| predecessor = Jennette Arnold

| successor =

| office2 = Hackney London Borough Councillor for Hackney Downs

| term_start2 = 3 May 2018

| term_end2 =

| party = Labour

| image = Sem Moema.png

| caption = Moema in 2025

| birth_name = Semakaleng Mokgadi Moema

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1984|11|4|df=y}}

| birth_place = Islington, London, England

| alma_mater = {{Plainlist|

}}

| website = {{url|http://www.semmoema.london/}}

}}

Semakaleng Mokgadi Moema (born 4 November 1984) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the London Assembly Member for North East since 2021.

Early life

Moema was born in Islington to South African parents who had fled Apartheid in the 1970s.{{Cite web|url=http://www.semmoema.london/|title=About Me|website=Sem Moema|accessdate=12 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512043744/http://www.semmoema.london/|archive-date=12 May 2021|url-status=dead}}{{Cite journal|url=https://labourlist.org/2020/02/sem-moema-why-im-standing-to-be-a-labour-london-assembly-candidate/|title=Sem Moema: Why I'm standing to be a Labour London Assembly candidate|journal=LabourList|first=Sem|last=Moema|date=11 February 2020|accessdate=12 May 2021}} She attended St Michael's Catholic Grammar School and Mahindra United World College. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Keele University and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Birkbeck, University of London.

Political career

She was first elected as a councillor on Hackney Council for Hackney Downs ward in 2006.{{Cite web|last=|title=Hackney Council election results|url=https://hackney.gov.uk/council-elections/#may4}} She did not stand for re-election in the 2010 local government elections but returned to Hackney Council in a by-election 2016, again representing Hackney Downs ward.{{Cite web|last=|title=2016 Hackney by-election results|url=https://hackney.gov.uk/by-election-results/#may5}} Moema was re-elected in the 2018 Hackney London Borough Council election{{Cite web|last=Service|first=Local Democracy Reporting|date=2021-05-08|title=Elections results in for City Hall and council elections|url=https://walthamforestecho.co.uk/elections-results-in-for-city-hall-and-council-elections/|access-date=2021-05-10|website=Waltham Forest Echo|language=en-GB}} and in the 2022 Hackney Borough Council election.{{Cite web |title=Council election results {{!}} Hackney Council |url=https://hackney.gov.uk/council-elections/ |access-date=2022-05-07 |website=hackney.gov.uk}}

Moema is a mayoral adviser for private rented sector and housing affordability on Hackney Council,{{Cite web|last=|title=Hackney Council cabinet|url=https://hackney.gov.uk/cabinet}} in which role she introduced a licensing scheme for privately rented housing in Hackney.{{Cite web|last=|title=Hackney Council landlord licensing scheme|date=21 March 2018 |url=https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2018/03/21/hackney-council-fresh-powers-tackle-rogue-landlords/}}

Following her election to the London Assembly in May 2021 she was elected to serve on the Assembly's Housing, Police and Crime and Confirmation Hearings Committees.{{Cite web|last=|title=London Assembly – Membership of Committees 2021/22|url=https://www.london.gov.uk/about-us/londonassembly/meetings/documents/s90789/07%20-%20Committee%20Structure%202021-22.pdf}} Moema is also the chair of the London Assembly's housing committee.{{Cite web|last=|title=London Assembly housing committee page|url=https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/london-assembly-committees/housing-committee?ac-28729=28727}}

Moema has campaigned on London's housing crisis, campaigning for a lift in Local Housing Allowance following rising rents in the Capital.{{Cite web |last=Vickers |first=Noah |date=2023-09-18 |title=Minister urged to un-freeze housing benefit amid rising homelessness |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/sem-moema-frozen-local-housing-allowance-benefits-rents-mel-stride-london-b1107729.html |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}} This campaign was successful, with the Government enacting her ask at the next Autumn Statement.{{Cite web |date=November 2023 |title=Page 4, Autumn Statement |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6568909c5936bb00133167cc/E02982473_Autumn_Statement_Nov_23_Accessible_Final.pdf |website=Gov.uk}}

She has successfully campaigned against Section 21 "no fault" evictions,{{Cite web |title=News from Sem Moema: More than 12,000 section 21 notices in London since Government pledged to abolish them {{!}} London City Hall |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/news-sem-moema-more-12000-section-21-notices-london-government-pledged-abolish-them |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=www.london.gov.uk |language=en-gb}} with the Labour Government formed following the 2024 General Election including a ban in their first King's Speech.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-17 |title=The King's Speech 2024 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-kings-speech-2024 |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}