🌤️ A Post‑Conference “Recovery Walk” on the Benfleet Downs & Hadleigh Marsh

Hadleigh Castle, marshes, detours and a bit of social history

After a full-on UNISON conference week & then a Newham Council Saturday, I escaped to Essex with Gill for what we optimistically called a “recovery walk” — the familiar 6.5‑mile circular route from the Essex Pathfinder Walks guidebook. We’ve done this one several times over the years, including back in 2021.

You’d think by now we’d know the starting point. You’d be wrong.

🚗 The Wrong Car Park (Again)

In true tradition, we parked at the car park near Hadleigh Castle rather than the actual start point in Hadleigh Country Park. No matter — the beauty of this walk is that you can easily join it from the Castle and adjust the route. It’s one of those forgiving circuits where a bit of improvisation doesn’t spoil the day.

For anyone planning it:

• Official start: Hadleigh Country Park car park

• Our start: The Castle car park (scenic, but technically wrong)

• Verdict: Still works perfectly well

🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️ Downs, Marshes and a Closed Crossing

The route across the Downs and marshes is as enjoyable as ever, with big skies and wide estuary views. You can also do this as a linear walk using the C2C line — station to station across the Downs is a cracking option if you don’t want to loop back.

One hiccup:

• The railway crossing at Point B was closed, forcing a about turn detour (remember we were going opposite way around to suggested route).

• And later, at Point D, we looked at the hill climb… and decided that due to the heat discretion is the better part of valour. So we headed straight back to the Castle for lunch instead of the full ascent. No regrets.

🏰 Lunch with a View

Hadleigh Castle remains one of the most atmospheric spots in Essex — ruined, windswept, and perched above the estuary. A perfect place to sit, decompress, and enjoy the breeze.

🧵 A Bit of Social History: The Salvation Army “Labour Colony”

Nearby sits the site of the former Salvation Army Labour Colony, now a training centre and rare breeds farm (and we used its paid for car park). The history is fascinating — part Victorian social reform, part moralistic experiment, part cautionary tale. Source: https://www.workhouses.org.uk/labourcolonies/

While these colonies were often framed as benevolent attempts to “rehabilitate” unemployed men, they also reflected the harsh attitudes of the era. And when you look at some modern international equivalents — forced labour camps, coercive “work programmes”, or exploitative migrant labour systems — the parallels are uncomfortable. Today we’d call many of these practices modern slavery, and in some cases, worse.

It’s a reminder that good intentions don’t excuse systems that strip people of agency or dignity.

🌿 A Good Walk, Even with Detours

Despite the wrong start, the closed crossing, and our tactical retreat from the final hill, it was a lovely day out. Fresh air, lots of sunshine, familiar paths, and time away from everyone - exactly what a post‑conference Sunday should be.

Saturday Councillor Surgery

 

This morning I held my West Ham ward Councillor surgery at Vicarage Lane Community Centre. Arriving at 10am, I found seven residents already waiting to speak with me.

Two residents raised an urgent parking and anti-social behaviour (ASB) issue. I was able to offer practical advice on next steps and we also discussed the possibility of arranging a public meeting involving local residents, the Council, and the Police — something I am confident my ward councillor colleagues would support.

Three further residents came forward with more serious ASB concerns in the ward. I had previously spoken to one of them during the recent campaign and have already raised the matter with local Police. I will be carrying out a walkabout and inspection of the area later this week, hopefully alongside ward colleagues and relevant officers.

Another case involved a dispute over a parking ticket. While Councillors cannot normally intervene due to this being a legal process, the evidence presented suggested there may have been maladministration. I therefore agreed to raise a Members’ Enquiry requesting a review. However, I made it clear that I am not a decision-maker in this process and advised the resident not to delay any formal appeal — which they understood and agreed with.

The surgery overran, and just as I was leaving, a local resident arrived seeking help. I apologised as I had to attend another meeting in East Ham, and she was happy to follow up by email regarding her housing repair concerns.

It was a busy morning (followed by a full on afternoon meeting), but a good day. Being a Councillor can be challenging, but supporting residents as they deal with often serious issues — and doing so to the best of your ability — is both important and rewarding.

UNISON NDC 2026 - Reflections (Day Four and home)

 

NDC Day – Reflections on a Full and Moving Friday

I was up early and went for a run — well, a slow jog — east along the prom for fifteen minutes before turning back to the hotel. Warm, dry, and misty: the kind of morning that feels suspended in time. And what a way to wake up — to the news that Labour’s candidate, Andy Burnham, had won the by‑election decisively. It was a powerful reminder that you can defeat the far‑right Reform and the increasingly fascistic Restore Party with a confident, progressive left candidate who is both charismatic and competent. A real lift to start the day.

After getting back, showered, and changed, it was straight into the 8.30am NEC pre‑conference meeting. The main item was, of course, the election of the 2026/27 UNISON NEC Presidential Team. I was genuinely delighted that James, Debbie, and Micaela were elected President, Senior Vice President, and Junior Vice President respectively — and by a clear majority. A strong team for the year ahead.

Conference opened at 9.30am. The morning brought several important debates — some ill‑tempered, but most constructive, thoughtful, and focused on building rather than tearing down. With no fringes running (everyone was packing up), I used the lunch break to deal with some branch and work issues. While waiting for a sandwich in Subway, I ended up in conversation with activists in the queue about good practice in internal disciplinary procedures and a local pensions dispute. As ever, you can’t switch off from the work — and nor would I want to.

After 2pm, I spoke on Motion 65: “Men’s Mental Health Matters”, moving a friendly NEC amendment. I mentioned that I had lost male family members to suicide, and the response afterwards was deeply moving. So many people came to speak to me about their own losses — friends, brothers, fathers — and to check on my wellbeing after the speech. That, to me, is UNISON at its very best: compassion, solidarity, and the willingness to share painful truths so that we can change things together. This issue matters enormously, and I am proud that UNISON is committing to take real action. I’ll post the full motion and my amendment speech later.

Conference closed at 3.45pm with a heartfelt tribute to our outgoing President, Catherine McKenna, whose term has now ended. Catherine has been an outstanding leader — strong, no‑nonsense, principled, and deeply respected. A fitting send‑off.

Afterwards, I picked up my suitcase from the hotel and walked up to the station to head home. NDC 2027 will be in Liverpool, and I sincerely hope to be there again.

UNISON NDC 2026 - Reflections (Day Three)

 

Day three started with some early HIIT training to wake me up, followed by an NEC pre-meeting and then breakfast with my Community colleague Denise.

Conference (NDC) began at 9:30am, and thankfully the rudeness and disrespect previously shown towards our lay elected volunteers on the Conference Standing Orders Committee was far more limited today.

Throughout the day, debates were generally more thoughtful and more respectful, even on potentially controversial issues such as Palestine. Many UNISON delegates from London made excellent contributions.

At lunchtime, I attended the fringe meeting on the Employment Rights Act — quite simply the most important victory for UNISON in my entire trade union membership of over 30 years. A huge well done to everyone who played their part in achieving this.

Of course, we want more. The law is still imbalanced in favour of employers. But, for once, can we please give ourselves a collective pat on the back? This is what the Labour Movement family — unions and the Labour Party working together — can deliver: meaningful, positive, and radical change for working-class people.

I remain firmly convinced that the Housing Association and Voluntary Sector should be the next to secure a Fair Pay Agreement. Denise and I will be fighting tooth and nail to make this happen.

In the afternoon, we moved on to rule change debates. Once again, I was pleased to see further respectful but sharp discussion on issues such as reviewing subscription rates and whether LGBT+ members should have NEC seats in the same way as other Self-Organised Groups.

In the evening, I had to write a speech for tomorrow and deal with various branch and other matters. As much as I enjoy conference, I am looking forward to it closing at 4pm tomorrow. However, we then move straight on to the very important NEC Presidential Team elections — watch this space.

UNISON NDC 2026 - Reflections (Day Two)

 

Early Morning Run and NEC Conference Reflections – Brighton

It was an early start this morning with a run—well, more of a slow jog—along Brighton seafront. There’s something grounding about getting out before the day properly begins, especially ahead of a full conference schedule.

After a quick turnaround—shower, breakfast, and coffee—it was straight into the NEC pre-conference meeting. Overall, it went reasonably well. 

Next NDC. the debates were largely positive, with a number of thoughtful contributions. We also heard speeches from the new UNISON General Secretary, Andrea Egan, as well as from the General Secretary of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions. Both were significant contributions and set the tone for the day.

That said, I do think there are some important strategic questions we need to reflect on. In particular, I’m not convinced that there is a full appreciation of the political threat posed by Reform/Restore. Alongside that, I’m concerned that simply attacking Labour—particularly using language that labels them broadly as racist—is not a strategy that will help us achieve what we need.

If our objective is to influence Labour policy so that it aligns more closely with UNISON’s priorities, then we need to think carefully about how we do that effectively. Constructive pressure, engagement, and clarity of purpose are essential. We should always be robust in challenging where necessary, but we also need to ensure that our approach creates space for change rather than closing it down.

At lunchtime, I spent some time handing out flyers outside the conference hall for the UNISON Labour Link Social. It was a good opportunity to speak to delegates and raise awareness of the event.

The Social itself went well. With local Labour MPs attending a by-election in Manchester, we didn’t have the usual panel discussion and debate, which was a bit of a shame. However, the event still provided a valuable chance to catch up with comrades from across the union. Sometimes those informal conversations are just as important—if not more so—than the formal sessions when it comes to building relationships and shaping thinking.

All in all, a busy but worthwhile day: a mix of debate, reflection, and reconnecting with colleagues from across the movement.

Apparently there is some sort of football game going on this evening? as Welsh/Scots I have no idea but wish all UK national teams well :-) 

UNISON NDC 2026 - Reflections (Day One)

For the first time in many years, I arrived late to the start of UNISON National Delegate Conference due to other urgent matters. I am attending conference in my capacity as an elected member of the UNISON National Executive Council (NEC) for Community, representing members working in Housing Associations and the voluntary/charity sector.

Despite my late arrival, it was clear that there had been a number of strong and constructive debates on the conference floor. A range of views were expressed in what I would describe as a positive, comradely manner. In my view, this was particularly encouraging, as there is not enough space for appropriate and constructive critical debate on motions. Unfortunately, I missed some of the more controversial items due to my late arrival.

Following the close of conference, I met with members of my branch delegation—where I also serve as Branch Secretary—to deal with some important admin matters.

I then attended a fringe meeting on Responding to Reform and the Populist Right. This featured several strong contributions, including from Nick Lowles of Hope Not Hate. While the discussion recognised the very real challenges posed by the rise of Reform and other far-right elements (including more extreme groups such as Restore), it was not entirely pessimistic. There were some important positive points highlighted, particularly that the overwhelming majority of voters rejected Reform in the recent local elections, despite the party achieving some high-profile results.

A key theme from the discussion was that our response should not be to simply demonise Reform or its supporters. Instead, we should focus on clearly exposing the reality of their policy platform—namely that it would undermine core public goods and protections such as a free NHS, decent public pensions, and essential employment rights.

During the Q&A, I made the point that while I agreed with much of the optimism expressed, there is a real danger that our movement could “sleepwalk” into allowing a Reform government in the future. The current political dynamics remind me strongly of what occurred in the United States, where dissatisfaction with the Democrats for not being “perfect” contributed to the election of Donald Trump—twice. That experience underlines the risks of complacency and fragmentation on the progressive side of politics.

Conference resumes tomorrow, with the NEC pre-meeting at 8:30am and conference business recommencing for delegates at 9:30am.

West Ham Ward Panel AGM & Meeting 4.6.26

Yesterday evening myself and my Labour & Co‑op Councillor colleague Adjoa Kwarteng with Green Councillor Ibrahim Alom attended the meeting of the West Ham Ward Panel, alongside local residents and four officers from our Safer Neighbourhoods Team.

The session opened with the panel’s AGM, where residents re‑elected the Chair and confirmed all existing panel members for another year. Only residents can stand or vote, which keeps the panel firmly rooted in the community it represents.

The main discussion focused on crime and anti‑social behaviour across the ward. Residents raised a number of concerns, and councillors and the SNT were able to agree several areas of joint action — including issues on Council estate land and properties managed by local housing associations. We also received helpful guidance on what can be done to address a safety hazard at the Portway entrance to West Ham Park.

A recurring theme from residents and Councillors was the impact of a local betting shop which appears to attract ASB to the surrounding area. This will be followed up as part of the wider partnership work.

Councillors also asked for closer links with the West Ham Volunteer Police Cadets, and for details of plans for the annual PC Nina Mackay memorial event later this year, as well as the Remembrance Sunday service at All Saints Church. It would be excellent to see the cadets and local schools involved in these important community moments.

Overall, it was a constructive meeting with strong resident leadership and a clear shared commitment to improving safety and wellbeing across West Ham.

Tribute to Councillor who built trust

 A touching tribute from a resident to former Labour Stratford Councillor Sabia Kamali, who unfortunately lost her seat in last month’s elections. She was one of the most talented and dedicated Councillors I’ve ever met. I’m confident this is just a temporary setback and that she’ll be back serving her community before long.

https://newhamvoices.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Newham-Voices-June-2026.pdf

Thank you dinner for Labour activists

 

A great snapshot from last week’s dinner for Labour activists in Newham, held after May’s election. It was a lovely meal with constructive feedback on the campaign. 

Many thanks to the candidates for organising such a well-supported event. 

Everyone had the chance to speak, and as Statutory Deputy Mayor, I spoke last, making it clear that while we won the Mayoral contest in Newham and Labour remains the largest political group, excellent Labour candidates unfortunately weren’t elected due to circumstances beyond their control—but we’ll be back for the next Newham Council elections in 2030, and we will win.

"What has a Labour Government ever done for us?...Employment rights reforms"