On Tuesday, I attended a moving and significant flag-raising ceremony outside Newham Town Hall, marking Newham’s solidarity with the Palestinian people.The event was attended by the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Husam Zomlot (ح…Read more…
Cousins meeting their new Cousin Ian
Last week, the Matthews family gathered to welcome our newly discovered paternal first cousin, Ian, and his partner, Julie. We enjoyed a meal together at the reopened Brookhouse Mill restaurant in Denbigh, North Wales. Ian is the natural son…Read more…
Keir Starmer standing down as MP
I imagine historians will be debating for years about how this all happened. While I understand and agree with his decision to resign as both PM and MP, as an interested observer, I can’t help but wonder what went so wrong and why.Read more…
Leadership you can reply on – Forhad Hussain- Mayor of Newham
Yesterday I collected the West Ham Ward “Thank You” cards that Adjoa, our volunteers and I will be delivering to residents across the ward. They are a small token of our appreciation for the support shown in electing Forhad as Executive Mayor and Adjoa…Read more…
Susan’s fundraiser for London’s Air Ambulance
My Councillor and Cabinet Colleague Susan is planning to walk next weekend 100km non stop along the Thames Path route. Please support this worthy cause.Susan Masters is raising money for London’s Air AmbulanceThames Path Ultra Challenge 2026 · 12 Septe…Read more…
Battle of Cable Street 90th Anniversary – Fight for the future – remember the past
Back from leave and looking forward to this event.This is a model motion for UNISON branches, and any other parts of the Labour Movement, to support the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street on 4 October 2026.I have submitted it to my br…Read more…
Northey Island & Maldon Walk
A brilliant 6.09‑mile circular walk from Maldon out to Northey Island today. Once you leave the busy waterfront it becomes wonderfully quiet — classic big‑skies Essex.We crossed the tidal causeway to Northey Island (only safe at low tide, closed …Read more…
Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour
You spoke, we listened 🗣️👂Some of you living around the Wanstead Flats area recently told us about issues with anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping, litter and general nuisance 🗑️So, we teamed up with our partners to speak to residents, carry out p…Read more…
Newham Housing Surgery at Stratford Library
This evening I attended the latest drop‑in Housing Surgery at Stratford Library alongside our Deputy Housing Cabinet Lead, Cllr Tonii Wilson, and local ward councillors.A wide range of Newham housing teams were present — Housing Liaison Officers, ASB, …Read more…
Too Hot to Work
Hat tip UNISON “UNISON has launched a campaign to demand that the UK government creates new laws that require employers to protect workers from excessive heat.The action, as part of the union’s Year of Green Activity, comes as a series of he…Read more…
The 3 John’s
2 weeks ago I met up with my former West Ham CLP comrades John Whitworth and John Saunders for a meal and chin wag in Stratford. Both of whom are long standing Labour Party members and former Newham Councillors (and both also have PHDs)John W is …Read more…
FORHAD’S FOCUS
As Cabinet Housing Member I am pleased with what has been done in Newham Housing Services since May 7 but there is still a long way to go. “Over the last few months, we’ve been continuing our work to tackle housing improvements and addressing the …Read more…
Belated thanks to Newham A&E — and two lessons learned the hard way
A belated but sincere thank you to the A&E staff at Newham General for treating me with kindness and respect during a visit two weeks ago. I had managed to injure myself in a particularly foolish way: having a fight with a jammed rod while tr…Read more…
🌙 July Rough Sleeping Count: A Night on the Streets With Newham’s Teams
Picture from the last months Count, just before midnight, as Newham Council teams headed out for July’s bi‑monthly Rough Sleeping Street Count. Every two months, Council rough sleeper officers, outreach workers, Councillors and volunteers come to…Read more…
Coggeshall Walk & historic Buildings 🚶♀️🌿
Last month, Gill and I enjoyed a lovely 4-mile circular walk around the historic village of Coggeshall in Essex. We started the day with breakfast in the town centre opposite the Chapel Inn before setting off to explore the surrounding countrysi…Read more…
Newham Labour Group “thank you” to 2026 Candidates & Organisers
Last month we had a genuinely lovely and informal evening bringing together candidates and organising staff from the May 2026 Council elections. It was exactly what everyone needed — good company, good humour, and some very good Italian food.Not …Read more…
West Ham walkabout – Vicarage Lane 22.7.26
Another late post from me — this time about last month’s walkabout in West Ham ward, starting outside the Vicarage Lane Community Centre and focusing on anti‑social behaviour concerns on both sides of the lane.The walkabout was organised and led …Read more…
London Labour Regional Conference 2026 – Delegate Reflections (as UNISON Labour Link)
Day 1 — Opening, Workshops, and FringesI arrived at the London Labour Regional Conference with the UNISON Labour Link delegation (and delegation leader), ready for 1.5 days of debates, workshops, and organising. Before the start we had a delegation mee…Read more…
Newham Power to Prosper Hub
Apologies for the lateness of this post — I’m well behind on social media updates — but I didn’t want to miss recording a very well‑attended and genuinely constructive meeting last month in Newham organised by Power to Proper.I was there on behalf of M…Read more…
Council Surgery in Canning Town Library & West Ham walkabout
Canning Town Library – Covering Cllr Mohammed’s SurgeryToday I returned to Canning Town Library to cover the Councillor surgery of my colleague Cllr Shaban Mohammed, who had kindly covered my West Ham Ward surgery recently.The session was scheduled for…Read more…