Newham Council Task & Finish report on 10 Year plan to solve the Temporary Accommodation Crisis

Yesterday, I presented a report to Full Council on the recommendations of a task and finish Group that I chaired, on the Temporary Accommodation crisis in Newham. This report was accepted unanimously. 

The key recommendation was that we have to have a credible long term plan not just to manage the crisis better (as important as that it) but to eventually solve it. 

This means not only do we have to raise our own game as a Council but also that the Government needs to be convinced that they have to provide the financial support and subsidy for us to provide sufficient secure, safe, green and affordable homes to house our 7000 homeless. 

Not an easy ask considering the dreadful state of public finances after 14 years of Tory rule but one we have to make. It used to be the case that British politicians from all political parties accepted that it was their duty to make sure that everyone had access to decent housing. We need to work to restore that belief. 

Check out the report here (Public Pack)Supplementary Agenda Two Agenda Supplement for Council, 14/07/2025 19:00

West Ham and Manor Park Street Surgery

 

Last Saturday I joined my West Hammer comrades John & Varghese for our ward street surgery. We went to the historic heart of the ward - Church Street. 

As a local Councillor, I picked up case work on housing repairs - individual and communal, rubbish collection and bin sheds, planning issues (see middle top) and street homelessness. The reaction to us calling was all pretty positive and it was good to see again, local community activists and Labour Party members and chat about issues. The top left picture was us in the front of a very welcome Council new build development. 

This morning I joined Manor Park comrades, local Councillor Salim and Hassan. We knocked up the Wanstead flats side of the ward. The recent grass fire on the flats had obviously caused concern. While there was some polite push back from known opponents, it was overall very solid Labour. It is clear that some Labour supporters are very concerned with local and national Party issues but are still giving us the opportunity to earn their trust. 

As Chair of Newham Labour Group, I will be joining all Newham wards in their future street surgeries. 

UNISON National Labour Link Forum 2025: Day 1 & 2

UNISON Labour Link is the part of our union that is made up of members who decide to affiliate to the Labour Party and the Forum is our annual meeting, which this year took place in Glasgow. 

I attended as an elected London delegate but came early as member of the National Labour Link committee for a pre forum planning meeting. In the morning I went for a run along the Clyde which took longer than expected due to getting just a little lost.

Forum started in that evening with delegation meetings and then a reception addressed by my former UNISON NEC colleague and now MP, Katrina Murray. Afterwards the London delegates had a meal in an Italian restaurant in Argyle Street. 

Forum started and finished the next day with a mixture of reports, motions, keynote speakers and panel debates. 

Former UNISON national officer (and London lay activist) Deirdre Costigan gave a well received speech to forum on the 1st year of a Labour Government and gave an honest and considered response to sometimes robust questions in the Q&A. 

The highlight to me, was the panel debate on "Tackling the rise of Reform" with guest speaker Nick Lowles from "Hope not Hate", who gave a fascinating account of recent research on who supports Reform, why they support such a right wing, anti worker Party and what we should all be thinking of doing to win back disillusioned voters. I asked the panel about the importance of social economic class inequality in this debate, which pretty much all the panel agreed was a key issue. 

Forum finished on time, with all the annual reports agreed and all the tabled motions debated. Looking forward to next year's Forum. 

UNISON National Labour Link Forum 2025

 

I arrived Wednesday evening for the UNISON National Labour Link forum in Glasgow. Picture with comrades from the NEC on the National Committee on way back from a meal.

Forum kicked off on Thursday evening but the National Committee met in the morning. Will post further. 

West Ham Labour Street Surgery

 

After my static advice surgery on Saturday morning I joined local volunteers and Councillors to carry out a door by door street surgery in West Ham.

We knocked on the doors of residents and ask them if they have any problems or issues with Newham Council that they wish to discuss with their local Councillors. Usually, residents are pleased to see us (although a tiny number disguise it very well) and have nothing to report but are grateful for receiving our contact details and that we hold a local advice surgery every Saturday (apart from Bank holiday weekends and August). 

We started off with a modern housing association block managed by L&Q. I was concerned that there appeared to be some out of date notices regarding fire safety/disrepair actions posted on a communal board, which I will chase up with them. 

Next we knocked at a Council managed block which had recently had substantial environmental improvements but residents were very concerned with cleaning standards and access to recycling bins. There was also reports of ongoing damp and mould problems, which I will also follow up. Overcrowding is a huge issue with adult children forced to stay at home since they cannot afford alternative accommodation. 

I was pleased to see that the old Britannia Pub has also been refurbished and modernised. It will hopefully reopen soon. 

The final door knock was Victorian street properties and discussed reports of ASB, rodents and tree pruning. 

In total we had 87 contacts and finished off with a late brunch in a nearby cafe. 

On the way home I looked for a plaque on a wall in an adjacent street, which I believe is connected to a 1733 boundary post I came across the previous week while canvassing in Stratford see John's Labour blog: Labour Street Surgery in Stratford. I found the plaque which I had posted upon here in 2013 John's Labour blog: West Ham doorstep & Leaflet drop. 

It seems that land in Stratford and West Ham had been donated to support St Mary's Church in Rotherhithe. I wonder what the legal situation is nowadays? I am meeting former Councillor John Saunders on Tuesday evening and will ask him if he knows more. 

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Sign up now for our week of action, 14-20 July: https://tuc.org.uk/news/workplace-temperatures-week-action#:~:text=In%20the%20week%20of%2014,safer%2C%20cooler%20workplaces%20this%20summer!

Labour Street Surgery in Stratford

 

On Saturday afternoon I joined a street surgery and campaign session in Stratford with local Councillor, Sabia Kamali. There had been a morning session as well which I could not attend but I cycled to the meeting point in Stratford High Road, which was near an unusual stone pillar (bottom right) which I think is some sort of boundary post dated 1731. It seems that it once marked land owned by a Church in Southwark. There is a similar wall plaque in my ward in West Ham. I will find out more. 

The street surgery itself went well but it was a warm and sunny day with many residents obviously out shopping or enjoying the weather. It was also difficult to gain entry into some of the newer blocks in this area. 

I helped some residents with some housing repair issues and advice on waiting lists etc but the only "political" conversation, I had was with a cheerful young man, who answered the door and said he did not know anything about politics but said he had heard about Reform but did not know what they would do for him or his family. 

I gave him the example that Reform wanted to dismantle the NHS and introduce a health service based on insurance policies. He was pretty rude about that possibility and said "100% for Labour then". Hopefully, I have pointed him in the right direction. 

There was some lovely individual gardens on the estates and an impressive new play area and Community garden. 

UNISON NEC Presidential Team elections 2025-2026

UNISON National Conference finished at 4pm on Friday 20 June 2025. I will post on the last 2 days of conference when I can. But after the close of conference, the newly elected UNISON National Executive Council (2025-2027 NEC) met for the first time to vote for our New President, Senior Vice President and Junior Vice President. 

I had been re-elected as a NEC Community member with my colleague Denise Thomas and we voted  in this important election. 

These are not just honorary or ceremonial positions, the new Presidential team are the most senior lay activists in the largest union in the UK, providing leadership for over 1.3 million members. 

I was more than pleased that the following were elected with clear majorities.

Catherine McKenna – UNISON President

James Anthony – Senior Vice President

Debbie Rowden – Junior Vice President

"This marks a fresh start and a powerful step forward for our union. With a strong NEC and a leadership team committed to putting members first, the future of UNISON looks brighter than ever".

Agreed. 

UNISON National Delegate Conference 25: Day two

I had another relatively early start to get to the NEC conference pre meeting for 8.30am. I had a day off running but did some HIIT instead. 

The NEC pre meeting went well and I was in the conference hall for the 9.30am start (Tuesday start is 10am). I am sitting on the front row on the far left (in joke) on the NEC platform (facing) next to my UNISON Community colleague, Denise Thomas. 

Thankfully, Conference was today also chaired by the super competent, former President Maureen le Marinel. 

The Standing Orders report went through quickly and there was only a little of the time wasting we experienced yesterday. 

Unfortunately, the miserabilists continued to promote, in my view, anti-Labour, pro Tory and pro Reform propaganda at every opportunity in debates but such is life. I genuinely don't think it did them any favours. 

Our General Secretary, Christina McAnea, gave a great and well received GS speech to conference which resulted in a standing ovation. Under Christina, for example, we have seen an increase in our membership, successful strikes, £162 million in back pay for members being upgraded and also (in my world) a fantastic victory for LIVV Housing Association strikers.  They won a 8% pay rise, an improvement in terms and conditions and a wider commitment to look into banning the absolutely disgraceful anti- trade union human rights abuses that LIVV carried out. 

During lunch I attended a fringe on organising and supporting workers in social care. Two Cymru/Wales Region care workers described the dreadful problems that migrant workers experience from employers and unfair visa rules. 

Before conference restarted after lunch, I handed out leaflets for the UNISON Labour Link Rally that evening. I had a really good response and it was so nice to get so much positive feedback from delegates, 

Our keynote international conference speaker was Lee Saunders, the President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Our sister union across the pond. He gave a lively, passionate and barn storming speech which got everyone also on their feet. 

Motion 12 was the last to be debated today "All we ask is to be treated with Dignity and Respect". I have lost count of number of UNISON Conferences I have attended and while I have sometime thought that some of the speeches I have heard are "inappropriate" I never thought I would hear delegates at our conference (last year) being allowed to suggest that up to 40,000 UNISON members in our Police Civilian staff are all violent racists and bigots, as well as being useless and should be sacked!  

Wow. Union members being allowed to openly call for other union members to be sacked? 

The debate will continue tomorrow morning.

This evening I went to the Labour Link Rally and listened to Christina, Maggi, and Employment Rights Minister, Justin Madders, explain exactly what is really happening with the Employment Rights Bill.  

Please ignore the Tory/Reform miserabilists untruths. 

UNISON National Delegate Conference 25: Day One

 

Today (Tuesday 17 June) was day one of the UNISON National Delegate Conference 2025, which is taking place in the ACC, Liverpool. This is certainly the largest trade union conference in the UK, if not Europe, with over 2,000 delegates and visitors.

I am here as an elected member of the UNISON National Executive Council. So I had to be up early for firstly, a short morning run/jog along the River Mersey, breakfast, then a pre conference meeting of the NEC at 8.30am. Which went I think pretty well and there was a couple of interesting votes. 

Then as also being a UNISON Greater London elected Regional Council officer, I was asked to help out our regional  delegates with the sometimes "difficult" but important task of assisting our London delegates with finding out where their allocated seats are on the conference floor. 

Conference started a little late due to queues of delegates and visitors waiting to get through security at the main entrance.  

The morning debate was chaired by current NEC member and respected former President, Maureen le Marinel, who is a super competent and very fair chair. Such a relief to have someone like Maureen Charing NDC after some shambolic and very destructive chairs in the recent past.

We all watched the names of UNISON members, activists, friends and officers who have died during the last year displayed on the screen behind the platform while listening to beautiful music.  

I was so pleased that conference supported our elected Chair of the Standing Order Committee, who had to report that motions that broke the rules of our union (decided upon by 2/3 majorities by previous conferences) could not be debated at this conference. It was in my personal view, a complete and utter waste of conference debating time that we had to listen and vote on the same arguments, time and time again for every single similar challenge. 

Conference went largely ok afterwards. We had the Annual report and the Financial statement. Then we debated motions. There were many good speakers on important issues but also in my view some completely negative and I suspect deliberately destructive views by political opponents of the current Labour Government. Which is fair enough, but please declare your party card when you do so.  I hope and think, I always make it clear my affiliations when I speak?

During lunch I attended a really good panel fringe on DC pensions. My question to the panel was how can we protect our members in DC pensions schemes, who are not able to physically to carry out their job but have no ill health retirement protection. I think that we need the Government to intervene on this.

It was great that current NEC member and former President Margaret McKee chaired the afternoon session in the similar fair but no nonsense manner as Maureen. 

After conference I attended a fringe on  a new proposed UNISON app for members which looks really good and as long as we have sufficient resource to keep it updated and relevant should be brilliant.