Dear John On the morning of Saturday 23rd January, the Co-operative Party is hosting a virtual regional conference with Party memb…Read more…
Standing for UNISON NEC Community Seats
Really pleased to announce that Denise and I are standing again to be re-elected to be UNISON National Executive Council members (UNISON’s Parliament for our 1.3 million members outside our annual conference) for the two Community Service Group s…Read more…
“Newham: Councillors rebel against Mayor over emission-based parking permit scheme”
More than half of the east London council’s dominant Labour group have taken a very public stand against the borough’s Labour Mayor
JOSHUA NEICHOThirty-two Newham councillors, more than half the total number, have signed an open letter calling on…Read more…
FTSE 100 chief executives ‘earn average salary within 3 days’
By 5.30pm today (Wednesday 6 January) the average FTSE 100 Chief Executive would have already earned more this year than the average annual salary of UK workers. They only had to work 34 hours to earn £31, 461 which is the average medium wage fo…Read more…
“Why we need you to stand as a Labour Councillor”
Why I would hope that candidates to be Councillors will also be “Labour and Co-operative” I am pleased that the Party is organising this training next week for members interested in standing in the local elections due to held in May 2021. &n…Read more…
UK Covid Lockdown as 4 January 2020
(As BBC website) “England is going into lockdown to try to prevent the NHS from becoming overwhelmed by a surge in coronavirus cases.Primary and secondary schools will close to almost all pupils, and people will be instructed to stay at home.Nort…Read more…
West Ham, Stratford & Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park walk
Picture collage from yesterdays lockdown “3 Park walk”. First was West Ham Park (we had coffee sitting on the bench remembering local Spanish Civil War International Brigader and poet, David Marshall) then Stratford Park (check out the Senso…Read more…
UNISON COVID-19 response fund – there for you
(A reminder during these dreadful times)
Members experiencing financial and emotional difficulties can contact our welfare charity, There for You, which provides a confidential advice and support service for members and their dependants.COVID-19…Read more…
An Awful New Year Day Calamity
This morning my Councillor colleague, John Whitworth and I, went to West Ham Cemetery to lay some flowers at the memorial to 26 boys who died in a fire exactly 131 years ago. The boys lived in a massive workhouse for children nearby in Forest …Read more…
Happy New Year / Blwyddyn Newydd Dda: Despite Covid, Brexit & Boris – Let’s raise a toast to a better 2021
Photo from the Fyfield village bridge across the River Roding overlooking the 13th Century Mill pond.
Lola 4 Kent PCC
My branch UNISON member, Lola Oyewusi, is standing for election as the Labour & Co-operative candidate to be the next Kent Police Crime Commissioner. Her campaign launch is on Sunday 10 January 2020.
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Cycling to Cutty Sark
Off message. I decided to try and ditch my “fair weather only” cycling reputation by biking in the winter gloom and cold to the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. My favourite route to the south of the borough is via West Ham Park and the Greenway. Across …Read more…
So why is there 104,000 vacancies in the Care Sector?
On BBC News this evening there was a report on the 104,000 vacancies in the UK care sector. There are justifiable worries that Brexit restrictions on low paid migrants will make this problem much worse. A owner of a care home was interview…Read more…
“A Promised Land” by Barack Obama
I listened to the final episode of Barack Obama reading from his first term Presidential memoirs, “A Promised Land” today on my smart phone and headphones while trying to walk off some Christmas cheer.
There are ten 15 minute abridged extr…Read more…
Nadolig Llawen: Happy Christmas!
Hat tip my favourite Welsh artist, Kyffin Williams and his painting “The Gathering” and in a 2021 post Covid world (fingers and toes) I hope to climb to the top of this same mountain Glyder Fach in Snowdonia.
Communist Christmas
Its Christmas Eve! Hat tip StroppyRead more…
Happy Birthday Trev
Yesterday was the birthday of my Tower Hamlets Housing UNISON colleague, Trevor Dean. Normally we would have gone out for drinks and a curry at Aromas to celebrate. Instead we will have a virtual curry next month on Montrose Matty’s birthday whic…Read more…
London Councils’ All Councillor Covid Webinar – 22 December
Tonight I joined a webinar organised by London Councils (which represents all 32 boroughs in London and the City) for a briefing on Covid.
The meeting was chaired by Labour Leader of Camden, Cllr Georgia Gould, however it was very much a c…Read more…
Merry Christmas from Greater London UNISON!
This is the front of the card sent out on behalf of Greater London UNISON Regional Council Officers and its Senior Management team by Yvonne Green (Regional Convenor) and Maggie Fermcombe (Regional Secretary).
“It’s been an unprecedented a…Read more…
Newham Council Budget Consultation for 2021
Check out the wider budget consultation here and the Eat For Free here
Share your views on our 2021/22 budget proposals We have written up our proposed budget for 2021/22, and we want to hear what you think about our proposals and …Read more…