Hat tip Labour List for this article by former Newham Councillor Gen Kitchen. “I was on day four of my honeymoon in Suffolk when I got the call to say Peter Bone had been suspended from the Commons and a recall petition had been triggered.I …Read more…
Newham Heritage Month 2024
Hat tip Newham History Facebook. Post by Newham Heritage. “We’d love to see you at Stratford Library for an Inspiration Day on Saturday 2 December, where some of the photos, objects, maps and more of Newham over the centuries will be on disp…Read more…
Plaistow North By Election Polling Day (& speaking at Pension conference)
I took yesterday off work for the by election but got tied up in morning with urgent UNISON “fire and rehire” case work. I was able at lunch time to go “knocking up” (knocking on doors of identified Labour Supporters , reminding them of the election an…Read more…
Eve of Poll Canvass: Plaistow North By election
Picture of activists meeting up before evening canvass. By election takes place tomorrow. If you can help at all please register https://events.labour.org.uk/event/396117Plaistow North is normally a secure Labour seat but there has been a tremendo…Read more…
Gen Kitchen: Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Wellingborough
Congratulations to my former Newham Councillor Colleague (and Executive member) Gen Kitchen for winning the nomination to become the Labour Candidate for Wellingborough (the current MP a certain Peter Bone is currently suspended from Parliament du…Read more…
Cllr surgery then having proper conversations with residents in Plaistow North
This morning I had my West Ham ward Councillor surgery in Vicarage Lane Community centre then I went off to canvass for Labour in the by election due to take place on Thursday 23 November. I was in a group with our fantastic local candidate, Akth…Read more…
TUC Regional Council & then “on the knocker” in Plaistow North
Today was a Labour Movement day. In the morning I went as a UNISON delegate to the TUC London, East and South East Regional Council meeting at Congress House. It was good to be back in person at these meetings. There was an important panel d…Read more…
Black History Month: Representation in East London
Hat tip to Ade for arranging and recording this fascinating discussion (and beyond Newham). Ade Adeyemi@i_Ade_Adeyemi#BlackHistoryMonth Black councillors across Newham celebrating and discussing representation in policy and politics across #EastLo…Read more…
Labour Party Conference 2023 – Saturday
Today, after my Newham Councillor surgery, I travelled to Liverpool for the 2023 Labour Party conference. I had to go into the conference office (yet again) to pick up my credentials since they had not arrived by post. Since this is my 3rd L…Read more…
The EastEnders Effect. Episode 28: Representation in the East End
It is a bit long but a fascinating interview by my Councillor constituent Ade Adeyemi of my UNISON comrade, Joseph Ogundemuren. He speaks from the heart of growing up, born and bred, as a working class black male in East London from immigrant parents. …Read more…
TUC Congress Day Four
TUC Congress finished on Wednesday. I had to leave early to deal with some urgent work and union case work. Also, on the way home, I stopped off to visit a new “build to rent” housing project in Manchester, part funded by Newham staff pension fund. I w…Read more…
Newham Voices Sept 23: “Newham in 50 Buildings”
Check out the latest news and views from our free local community newspaper, Newham Voices. I particularly enjoyed the review by Jean Gray ( no known relative!) on the Book “Newham in 50 Buildings” by Malcolm Batten. Which I must get and go on it…Read more…
The Housing Crisis: A possible positive way forward & a definite negative
On Thursday evening I took part in an informal discussion of a possible way to provide much needed homes for homeless families. The suggestion is largely untested at scale, extremely complex, potentially financially risky but may (repeat may) offer a “…Read more…
Is it about time we broke up these “mega monopolies” housing associations?
L&Q is headquartered in Newham and is also one of the largest UNISON “shops” in my branch. So I have had a fair amount of contact (and sometimes conflict) with L&Q over the years. Check out this “Inside Housing” Report on Friday. I w…Read more…
“Who is Mehmood Mirza?”
Check this very good blog by Josephine on Newham 65 blog (which I certainly do not always agree with) and also make it clear that our Labour candidate, Sofia, at the by election was one of the hardest working, capable and all round nice person candidat…Read more…
East Ham Newham Voices – By Elections Hustings
Yesterday morning I went to the hustings in East Ham Library organised by Newham Voices. Picture is of Labour Candidate for Boleyn Ward, Sofia Patel (Stephanie Garfield, Wall End Labour candidate was unable to attend) telling it as it i…Read more…
Getting the Labour Postal Vote out in Boleyn
On Saturday morning I joined Labour colleagues door knocking in the Boleyn ward by election in East Ham. The local Labour Candidate is Sofia Patel. Thanks to Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz for main picture of us mostly trying to install the Labour doorstep…Read more…
Windrush 75th anniversary – London UNISON & Newham
This evening I attended two events remembering and celebrating the 75th anniversary of the ship, Empress Windrush, docking at Tilbury Port, Essex in 1948 with several hundred West Indian migrants, who came to the “motherland” in order to fi…Read more…
On the knocker for Sofia Patel in Boleyn
This morning after my Councillor surgery in West Ham, I cycled over to the Champions Statute in Boleyn ward. There I joined the canvass team supporting our excellent candidate, Sofia Patel, who was born and brought up in Newham and lives in the w…Read more…
Newham Council Annual General Meeting 2023
Yesterday evening was the Formal Annual General Meeting of the London Borough of Newham Council in the Old Town Hall in Stratford. It is the nearest we usually get to “pomp and ceremony” in Newham Council meetings. On the way in we were lobbied ef…Read more…