Cllr Emily O'Brien

 Emily O’Brien is a Green Party Councillor and Cabinet Member for Climate, Nature & Food Systems at Lewes District Council where she has a strategic lead on the climate and nature emergencies including decarbonisation programmes;  river restoration, flood management and coastal erosion; plus biodiversity, open spaces and parks. 

She was previously a Cabinet Member for Planning, when she led on greening planning policy and the introduction of innovative technical guidance on sustainability, biodiversity net gain and the circular economy. 

She is also an expert on food systems and campaigner on food poverty and food and climate change, and previously led place-based approaches to food strategy for Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, and worked for national charity Food Matters on the Sustainable Food Places programme.