A really busy but interesting week. It was my first day back at work after almost 2 weeks holiday (Malta then UNISON conference in Brighton) so lots of tenancy and trade union issues to try and sort out (not helped by major IT/server problems).&n…Read more…
Newham Council Bi Monthly Street Count – Wednesday 26th May 2022
Picture of volunteers, Councillors and Council outreach staff before the latest bi monthly count of people sleeping “rough” in Newham.
We met at Newham Dockside building at 11pm. We had a briefing on the purpose of the count and how to make sur…Read more…
West Ham Ward Labour Street Surgery & Canvass – Meath & Chaplin Road
At the first door I knocked at this morning, the resident opened his front door with his hand raised upwards, clearly expecting a parcel. Despite this he was pleased to see a local Councillor, had no issues with Newham Council and confirmed that…Read more…
LoveE15 Community planters & West Ham Ward Labour Street Surgery
This morning West Ham Ward Councillors (myself, Charlene and John W) met with local residents and Newham Council officers to support and help out with filling Community planter boxes.
It was brilliant to see so many residents giving up their Sat…Read more…
West Ham Ward ASB Action Day (and Italian Street Food)
This evening I went with Newham Council funded Met Police and Council Enforcement officers for a “walkabout” in West Ham ward, which I represent as a Councillor. Yesterday and today were ASB “Action Days” in West Ham and Stratford. Local ward Cou…Read more…
103rd Anniversary of Armistice Day at East Ham Cenotaph
This morning I laid a wreath on behalf of Newham Councillors at the Cenotaph in Central Park, East Ham. My colleague, Cllr Carleene Lee-Phakoe, Cabinet lead for Brighter Futures, had firstly laid a wreath on behalf of the Council.
It was a very well …Read more…
Newham Council Pension Committee (& we are shortlisted for “Best Climate Change Strategy” award)
Great to be back tonight in the Newham Council Chamber in East Ham Town Hall for a meeting. Some interesting statistics from the agenda which included our draft annual report on the pension fund.
There are 29,122 scheme members53 different emplo…Read more…
A minutes silence for David Amess MP
Picture from start of Newham London Full Council meeting in Old Town Hall Stratford. Next we had a minutes silence in memory of murdered MP, David Amess. Then Cllr Griffiths, who knew David gave an emotional tribute followed by fellow St Bons “old…Read more…
Want to create a Newham heritage project? Apply for a grant today!
Exciting news about Newham Heritage Month 2022
Newham Heritage Month will be back for an exciting third year in June 2022! The festival is made by Newham’s community for the community and we’re offering you grants of up to £8,000&…Read more…
West Ham Ward Cllr Street Surgery: Uneven Pavements, Blocked drains, Fly tipping, Bulk Rubbish, Leylandii trees, Unsafe Roads…
My West Ham Ward Councillor colleague, John Whitworth and I (our ward colleague Charlene had a clash) had a really interesting Street Surgery this evening. Knocking on doors and introducing ourselves and asking residents if they had any issues wi…Read more…
Back to East Ham Town Hall
This evening I went inside East Ham Town for the first time since pre lockdown for a Crime & ASB Scrutiny Commission meeting. I only went to make sure that there was the minimum quorum of Councillors present, since I had an emergency tr…Read more…
Back to the Old Town Hall in Stratford
It was great to be in the historic Old Town Hall in Stratford for this evening’s Newham Full Council Meeting. There was even an demonstration outside by residents protesting about the closure of Newham City Farm.
It was a “blended” meeting with…Read more…
Fancy being an independent member of Newham Overview & Scrutiny Committee?
“We are looking to add further independence, skills and knowledge to Newham’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee by seeking 3 independent co-optee members.
For further information please visit https://orlo.uk/CommitteeVacancies_zZsiaClosing date 8 Augus…Read more…
Newham Council Rough Sleeping Street Count: 25 May 2021
Last night I took part again in the latest count of people “rough sleeping” in Newham. Council Officers, members, outreach workers and volunteers, turned up at the former Council staff restaurant area in Newham Dockside building at 11pm for a cof…Read more…
Back to physical (but blended) Council meetings
The Government has let the emergency Covid legislation allowing Councils to hold legal virtual only meetings to end. There was an unsuccessful judicial review against this decision, so I had to attend the Newham Council Local Planning Committee …Read more…
Emergency Crime Scrutiny Meeting of Newham Council (5 May 2021)
The Chair of Crime Scrutiny, Councillor Daniel Lee-Phakoe, a father and local resident tells it as it is, about the recent tragic deaths of our young people in a meeting of police, senior council officers and politicians.
Full video of meeting htt…Read more…
Newham Voting for Change – on Revive FM
“Newham Voting for Change activist Josephine Grahl was interviewed today (Monday) on community radio station Revive FM.
She talked to Simon Rush about the reasons for the referendum, the advantages of the committee structure, and the way the…Read more…
Game on: Court confirms choice for Newham in May: “It is between a more open and democratic system & status quo”
Check out release by “Newham voting for Change” that the Courts have confirmed today that there will be choice in the referendum in May between the current all powerful Newham Council Executive Mayor and the more open and democratic Committee mod…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…
James Keir Hardie – 120 Years since his election as 1st ever Labour MP (booklet from 2012)
I was really pleased that I was recently able to respond to a request by the Keir Hardie Society (via a former UNISON colleague) for a pdf copy of the booklet issued in 2012 to mark the 120th anniversary of Keir Hardie’s election. He was elected …Read more…