Camden Council
Following his studies,Beales went on to work in campaigning and communications with the Labour Party. [9]
He was first elected at the 2014 Camden London Borough Council election,and was re-elected at the next two subsequent council elections. Beales was initially elected to represent Cantelowes,unseating the ward's sole Liberal Democrat councillor. Cantelowes was abolished for the 2022 elections, [10] and Beales was subsequently elected for the Camden Square ward. [11] He was a governor at Torriano Primary School,on his local street. [12] [13]
Since his election,Beales has been one of the most high-profile councillors,with the local paper writing of him,"With an ever-expanding brief,Cllr Beales has been there for every Camden policy,every flashpoint." [3] He is quoted nearly every week in the local press. [2]
Beales served as Camden Council's Cabinet Member for New Homes,Jobs and Community Investment. In this role he was responsible for the Community Investment Programmes which is Camden's estate regeneration and property development programme. [14] CIP - and Beales personally - has been criticised on a cross-party basis for failing to meet its own target for building council homes and for allowing private developers to 'seize' part of sites for their own use. [15]
He supported adding a pedestrian crossing in Camden with the transgender flag,the first of its kind in London. [16]
Beales resigned from being a Camden councillor on 12 July 2024,a week after being elected as an MP. [17]
Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election
In December 2022,Beales was selected as the Labour candidate for Uxbridge and South Ruislip to become the candidate at the by-election,which was announced less than a day after the constituency's MP,former Prime Minister Boris Johnson,had resigned. This was just prior to the publication of the Commons Privileges Committee investigation into Johnson's involvement in Partygate. [18] [5] Beales then began campaigning with the party's national campaign co-ordinator,Shabana Mahmood. [19] He remained a Camden Council Cabinet Member throughout the by-election.
During campaigning,Beales challenged the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's policy to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone into outer London,including Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Beales suggested the scheme should be delayed,while the successful Conservative candidate,Steve Tuckwell,wanted to scrap the scheme completely. [20] [21]
