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"

🌙 Rough Sleeper Count: A Midnight Snapshot of Life on Our Streets

 

Last Thursday evening, just before midnight, our Newham Council teams gathered once again for the latest bi‑monthly count of people sleeping rough across the borough. From midnight until 3am, staff and volunteers fanned out across known locations, not only to record numbers but to engage with people where possible.

Some colleagues (not pictured) were already stationed at key “hot spots” to speak with individuals, understand their situations, and offer support. The emphasis in these areas was not just on a head count—important as that is for understanding the scale of the issue—but on meaningful contact.

I paired up with a Council colleague to visit an area where we know rough sleeping is more prevalent. Even when you’ve done this work for years, it remains a sobering experience. Seeing vulnerable people trying to rest in noisy, exposed, polluted, and sometimes dangerous surroundings is a stark reminder of the realities many face every night.

And yet, amid the hardship, there were glimmers of hope. As we walked, my colleague shared stories of long‑term rough sleepers who, through persistent outreach and support, have moved into permanent accommodation. Those successes matter. They show what is possible when services are properly resourced, when trust is built over time, and when people are met with compassion rather than judgement.

The count is never easy, but it is necessary. It grounds us in the truth of what’s happening on our streets—and it strengthens our resolve to keep pushing for the support, housing, and long‑term solutions people deserve.

Newham Council Annual General Meeting 2026

 

A belated report on the AGM last week in the beautiful main hall of East Ham (also referred to as Newham but disputed by West Ham) Town Hall. 

We are not in my view really into "pomp and circumstance" in Newham but this is the formal Annual General meeting of the Council and I freely admit to liking appropriate local historic traditions but this meeting is also very political. 

While many do not understand that we have in Newham, a directly elected Executive Mayor, with very strong powers (I would prefer a different governance model but that boat has sailed), the AGM does elect important constitutional posts such as the Chairs of Council and of other important committees. 

The election of these important positions was disrupted by some simply bizarre and aggressive interventions by the so called "Newham Independent Group" who stormed off in the middle of the meeting because they I think they did not understand what was going on. 

In the election on May 7th, the Labour Candidate for Executive Mayor, Forhad Hussain, won convincingly and will the be Executive Mayor for the next 4 years. 

Labour is the single largest party but we did not win a majority of seats on this occasion (next time will be different). The Independents came next then the Greens. Council officers had made a recommendation to all the Groups about sharing Chairs of Council committees according to the number of seats each Group they held. 

While I would of course rather the Labour Councillors elect all Chairs that was not going to happen . I will not comment on all the discussions that went on but it is crystal clear that the independents were wheeling and dealing and for them to suggest otherwise is just hypocritical and rather silly. 

Labour and Green members voted largely to adopt the original Council officers recommendations about a fairish allocation of positions while it was clear to me that the independents did not understand that they had been given some of the most important positions in the Council outside the Executive but they still were against? 

I pointed out to them during the debate that Mayor Forhad Hussain had "put the hand of friendship out to the Independent group and to the Greens”.

However, the fact of the matter is that the Independent group did not wish to work with the mayor for the betterment of Newham and our residents.” https://www.newhamcitizen.co.uk/newham-independents-green-labour-council-roles/

Apart from this daftness the meeting ran smoothly and it was good to meet up with many comrades and guests. 

Our rights at work are under attack - Help us Stop the Steal Tuesday 2 June | 2:00 - 3:00

 

Trade union rights and renters’ rights are under attack.

Join the TUC and guest speakers for a webinar on the #StopTheSteal campaign and how union reps can help defend hard-won protections at work and at home. We’ll discuss what proposed attacks on employment and housing rights could mean in practice, how reps can organise effective conversations in workplaces and communities, and why solidarity between workers and renters matters more than ever. You’ll hear about Stop the Steal’s day of action on 11th June, with workers across the UK putting up Stop the Steal posters on their noticeboards at work or at home. This helps to raise awareness about the threat of the Great Repeal Bill. This session is for anyone who wants to help build collective resistance to insecure work, low rights, and unfair housing. We want everyone attending TUC events to have a safe and enjoyable experience. If you require any adjustments or assistance to participate at this event, please let us know at TUCEducation@tuc.org.uk Live captions will be available during the webinar.

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/3517768511757/WN_TJtJfWltSDmlU1rMQqhmTg?mc_cid=5ca57508be&mc_eid=3ad1a32733#/registration

Labour Unions - Join us to campaign for Andy Burnham in the Makerfield by-election

 

Join us to campaign for Andy Burnham in the Makerfield by-election.

Help Labour win.

Working people are crying out for change. That’s why policies like the New Deal for Working People are so important.

Andy Burnham is standing because he believes that communities like Makerfield deserve better.

But make no mistake, this by-election will be a straight fight between Labour and Reform, and every vote will count. With Reform throwing everything at Makerfield, we need trade union activists out in force, making calls, knocking on doors and delivering leaflets, making the positive case for change and pushing back on their politics of division.

Hear from leading voices across the movement and join the campaign on Sunday 31 May.  Full details coming soon.  Sign up ↓

Makerfield Trade Union Campaign Day - Sunday 31 May, 1pm

https://labourunions.org.uk/makerfield-campaign-day/

(I am hoping to be there to help out) 

🚲 A Sunday Morning in West Ham: Community, Conversation and a Rossi with the Mayor

 

Sunday started early with a cycle over to my ward and a hearty breakfast at the Plaistow Café — the kind of place where the tea is strong, the portions generous, and the conversations even better.

From there I joined local residents for a site visit at a long‑derelict plot in West Ham where they hope to build a much‑needed community centre. I made clear that I’ll be a critical friend to the project: supportive, experienced, and honest about what specialist advice and guidance they’ll need to turn a great idea into a real, sustainable asset for local people. My ward colleague Cllr Adjoa Kwarteng could not attend but will be organising another site visit.

Next stop was West Ham Park, where I met our newly elected Executive Mayor, Forhad Hussain. We treated ourselves to a Rossi ice cream and took a walk around the park. It felt a bit like accompanying a film star — every few steps someone stopped to congratulate him, shake his hand, or ask for a selfie. The warmth and pride from residents was unmistakable.

A good Sunday: community at its best, people with ambition for their neighbourhood, and a Mayor who clearly connects with those he serves.

🚶‍♂️ A Return to North Weald: Forgotten Paths, Hidden Forts and a 450‑Year‑Old Pub

 

After finishing my Councillor surgery yesterday, Gill and I drove out to North Weald for a 4.7‑mile circular walk — a route we first did in 1998, again in 2011, and then somehow managed to forget entirely. It begins near the historic North Weald Railway Station and winds through quiet, open countryside that feels far more remote than its distance from London would suggest.

One stretch follows the line of a long‑lost Roman road. As we walked, we spotted deer pretending to be statutes, red kites circling overhead, and one particularly assertive hare who sat bolt upright within 50 metres of us, fully aware of our presence but entirely unimpressed by it. He held his ground until we passed, as if he owned the area.

What truly astonished me, though, was stumbling across the site of the "North Weald Redoubt" — one of 13 late‑19th‑century forts built around 1896 to defend London from invasion. Despite my strong interest in local history, I am slightly ashamed to admit that I had no idea these forts existed. The main site is shut off as "dangerous" for whatever reason but it is a reminder of a period when Britain feared attack from continental Europe long before the world wars reshaped those anxieties. (Reference: https://www.visiteppingforest.org/things-to-do/north-weald-redoubt-p1833191 )

Nearby fields were also dotted with dozens of seemingly random concrete blocks. I have never seen anything like it? At first I assumed they were part of the Victorian defensive system or perhaps connected to the nearby "Battle of Britain" airfield. But it appears they may have been anchoring points for very early post first world war Marconi telecommunications masts — though information is sparse and the truth remains a little unclear. A small mystery for another day.

We ended the walk in the rear garden of The Kings Head, one of the oldest pubs in Essex. Parts of the building date back nearly 450 years. The main structure — a beautiful half‑timbered building — was constructed in the 17th century using old ships’ timbers. Sitting there with a drink in the late afternoon sun felt like the perfect way to finish a walk steeped in layers of history.

A forgotten route rediscovered, and a reminder that even in places we think we know, there is always more to learn.