A supporter of and major donor[REF] to the Labour Party, he served as a councillor for the party in the London Borough of Camden for most of the period between 1971 and 2006.
During this time he held a number of political appointments, including Deputy Chairman of the London Docklands Corporation, Chair of the Housing Committee at the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and the London Boroughs Association, and Chair of both the Housing and Finance Committees of the London Borough of Camden.