Cllr Orleen Hylton has lived and worked in Brent all her life, attending Willesden High School (which is now the Capital City Academy) and prior to that, she attended Pound Lane School.
She first started working for Brent Council in l985 firstly as a clerk/typist progressing to Personal Assistant to various directors, then became a Principle Resident Involvement Officer working across Brent, before working on the South Kilburn Regeneration. Since 2007, she has used her time to undertake various voluntary work with her local resident’s association, working with elderly people, by sitting on the committee for FairShare, and chairing a police working group.
She has been a Councillor since 2014, and currently serves as the local councillor for Preston ward. During her political career, she served on the following committees: Planning, Alcohol and Licensing, Pensions, Scrutiny, as well as Chairing and being part of various working groups. She is also the Vice Chair for the Women’s Forum, Vice Chair of Brent Co-Op, and Secretary of BAME Labour.
She also organised and hosted the first Windrush Gala event in Brent in 2019, and monies raised went to the Mayor's Charities as well as a local charitable organisation.
As the current Mayor of Brent, she said: "I am extremely honoured and proud to serve all the communities within Brent as the First Citizen. My charities will be PLIAS and Preston Community Library. I will be supporting the library because I previously chaired a Contextual Safeguarding Working Group. Through its findings, young people considered the library a safe space and some became warm spaces. Libraries are spaces that offer a variety of free activities and information for all communities and all ages. With PLIAS, I know that some people make mistakes in their life. This charity provides the necessary support that people will need to get their lives back on track. I am also very impressed that they have expanded the services that they offer to encompass people who are at risk of crime, as well as victims of crime. My other reason for supporting this charity is is that they provide services for people who experience domestic violence, as well as career advice.”
In her spare time, the Mayor likes to keep fit by swimming and doing Pilates on daily basis. She also enjoys reading books of all genres, including Sci-Fi, crime and romance novels.