Louis Sherman (23 May 1914 – 16 November 2001) was a British politician, who achieved greatest prominence as chair of the London Boroughs Association. Born to a working class Jewish family in Whitechapel, Sherman worked as a tailor's cutter before becoming a taxi driver. He claimed to have qualified by obtaining

The Knowledge Taxicabs are regulated throughout the United Kingdom, but the regulation of taxicabs in London is especially rigorous with regard to mechanical integrity and driver knowledge. An official report observed that: "Little however is known about ...

in a record twelve weeks. In the 1930s, he joined the Young Communist League, inspired by its opposition to fascism, but he left the group at the end of the decade. He joined the

National Fire Service The National Fire Service (NFS) was the single fire service created in Great Britain in 1941 during the Second World War; a separate National Fire Service (Northern Ireland) was created in 1942. The NFS was created in August 1941 by the amalga ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, but suffered serious injuries after falling through the roof while fighting a large fire on Oxford Street, and was invalided out. Sherman's health slowly improved, and he was able to return to taxi driving. In 1953, he was elected as a Labour Party member of

Hackney Metropolitan Borough Council The Metropolitan Borough of Hackney was a Metropolitan borough of the County of London from 1900 to 1965. Its area became part of the London Borough of Hackney. Formation and boundaries The borough was one of twenty-eight metropolitan boroughs c ...

, associated with the left wing of the party. He switched to become an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

in 1959, was leader of the council from 1957 to 1960, and Mayor of Hackney in 1961/62. At the

1961 London County Council election An election to the County Council of London took place on 13 April 1961. It proved to be the last election to the council, and plans for its replacement by the Greater London Council were already in process. The council was elected by First Past ...

, he was elected in Hackney Central, serving until the council's abolition, in 1965. Much of Sherman's time was focused on Hackney, and he championed the development of the Lea Valley Park, which opened in 1966. He supported the Theatre Workshop, persuading boroughs in the area to jointly award it grants when it was in danger of closing. He also represented the borough on the

Inner London Education Authority The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was an ad hoc local education authority for the City of London and the 12 Inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. The authority was reconstituted as a directly elected body corpor ...

, and became vice chair of the

Association of Metropolitan Authorities The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities. Its core membership is made up of 339 English councils and the 22 Welsh councils through the Welsh Local Government Association. The LGA is p ...

. In 1971, Sherman was elected as chair of the London Boroughs Association. He promoted closer co-operation between the London boroughs and the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

, and led campaigns for increased rate subsidies for London, half price bus fares for pensioners, and more affordable housing. He was knighted in 1975, and that year finally stopped driving his taxi. He largely retired in 1978, but served as chair of the

Housing Corporation The Housing Corporation was the non-departmental public body that funded new affordable housing and regulated housing associations in England. It was established by the Housing Act 1964. On 1 December 2008, its functions were transferred to two n ...

until 1980, and was deputy chair of the Harlow Development Corporation. He was a humanist and patron of Humanists UK until his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Lou 1914 births 2001 deaths Labour Party (UK) councillors Members of London County Council People from Whitechapel Leaders of local authorities of England English humanists