Happy New Year Everyone! Could not resist posting this picture of Tigger who was our “host” at the cottage in Wales that we rented for Christmas. My first ever social media “Cat” picture I think. Read more…
Llanwyfan – Penycloddiau Hill Fort Circular Walk
Off message but spent Christmas in North Wales visiting family. In between visits (and eating and drinking lots) Gill and I had some fantastic walks. We hired a cottage near Llanwyfan which is about 4 miles from Denbigh. There use to be a large TB hosp…Read more…
TUC head calls on labour movement to pull together and avoid “self-pity” and “recriminations” in New Year message
“Working families won’t be sorry to see the back of the 2010s. It’s been a decade of austerity and pay stagnation – putting real pressure on family finances, the NHS and the public services we all rely on.
Looking to the next decade, we face big chal…Read more…
Newham in east London has steepest house price rises of the century
Hat tip The Guardian. This is NOT a good thingRead more…
The Death of Stalin
I watched “The Death of Stalin” on Netflix last night. It is billed as a comedy. While there are some comic moments it is not for the faint hearted.
An account of a gangster state changing its leadership. I wonder how accurate it is? Strange to s…Read more…
#NewhamDemocracyCommission Have you had your say?
Democracy and Civic Participation Commission – tell us what you think. To join the conversation online, and for full details of all events visit: https://www.newhamdemocracycommission.org/
#NewhamDemocracyCommission
Read more…
A Christmas gift from “Battling Bessie” Braddock
An early Christmas present were these historic Labour Party cuff links. My cousin is friends with an elderly Labour supporter in Dolgellau, North Wales who wanted me to have have them. Which is very kind of him.
What is particularly fascinating is tha…Read more…
Merry Communist Christmas
Hap tip StroppyRead more…
Newham’s Rough Sleeper Xmas Shelter
“Volunteers are hard at work putting the final festive touches to the rough sleepers Christmas Shelter which opens today in Stratford at 2pm. It’s the second year #Newham Council has supported the project run by Stratford Seventh Day Adventist Church a…Read more…
A view from the right
Hap tip free markets think tank CPS for this article by Glen O’Hara.
The real reasons Labour lost
Labour should not have lost this election. Only once before has any modern British government going for a fourth term won the approval of the vote…Read more…
A view from the hard left
Hat tip my libel pal David Osland’s (seen here with me and his partner Cllr Stroppy) article in last weeks Telegraph.
“For the hard left – and yes, I’m proudly part of it – it’s time to wake up and smell the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign organic fairt…Read more…
The reality about illegal evictions & criminal landlords
You wouldn’t believe a landlord would tell a family that they need to be evicted so s/he could hold a Christmas party?
Hat tip Nearly Legal
“The new government’s Queens Speech confirmed that there will be a Bill that will involve the ending…Read more…
Totally fed up of losing General Elections: UNISON NEC
On Wednesday there was a post general election meeting of the UNISON National Executive Committee at our headquarters in Euston. I hold one of the two elected NEC seats for UNISON members who work in the UK Voluntary Sector and Housing Associations.
“Newham has the highest rate of homelessness in the country, report reveals, as council ramps up support”
Hat tip Newham Recorder
“Newham has the highest rate of homelessness in the country, a report by housing charity Shelter has revealed.
The council says a shortage of social rented property, high private rents and benefit changes are pushing more…Read more…
International Migrants Day: We all stand together
“All migrants are entitled to equal protection of all their human rights. On this International Day, I urge leaders and people everywhere to bring the Global Compact to life, so that migration works for all”.UN Secretary-General António GuterresRead more…
Visit to ThamesReach Martha Jones House
This morning I went on a visit to Martha Jones House, which is a 50 bed high needs hostel in Vauxhall, run by Thamesreach, a London based charity helping homeless and vulnerable people. I had been invited with my fellow Deputy Mayor (Tower Hamlets not …Read more…
Newham Planning Committee approves 3 new developments at 100% social rents; rough sleeping assessment centre & new emergency family accommodation
This evening I took part in a 3 hour plus Newham Council Local Development Committee (LDC) meeting (small scale planning). There were 20 applications to consider.
There were 3 applications by Newham Council regeneration team for new build developments…Read more…
Impact investing in Social Housing: An Asset Owner & Landlord Prospective
Last month I was on a panel at a seminar on “social impact investing” in property. In my capacity as a pension trustee seeking long term financial returns and as the lead member for Housing in a Council with a desperate housing crisis.
While the …Read more…
UNISON winter fuel grant for low paid members
“Get help with winter fuel billsMembers living on a low income constantly struggle to make ends meet – and this can be particularly acute in the winter when the cost of heating homes rises as the outside temperature falls.But it’s not all bad news – he…Read more…
Success in Peoples Republic: Failure Nationally #GE2019
Congratulations to Lyn and Stephen for their “Landslide” victories for Labour in West Ham and East Ham (both in the London Borough of Newham).
However, as soon as I saw the exit poll on the 10 O’Clock news last night I knew that Labour nationally was …Read more…