West Ham Ward Surgeries - in and out

 

This morning I cycled to Stratford Library for my West Ham Councillor surgery. It was busy, with two consecutive residents seeking advice on housing eviction notices—one case very urgent—and in both instances the residents were in poor health. I contacted Newham’s “out of hours” service and had some serious conversations with them about next steps. I can’t help wondering if these so-called “no fault” evictions are linked to the Labour Government’s Renters Rights Bill, set to come into effect on 1 May 2026. I’ll be raising members’ enquiries for both cases.

In the afternoon, I met fellow ward candidates for the May 2026 elections, Adjoa and Sam, at Plaistow café for campaign planning, before joining a West Ham ward street surgery with Labour colleagues. We had two teams out and three people new to canvassing who, after some on-the-job training, were knocking on doors by the end. There were plenty of positive interactions, a few trickier ones, but always interesting conversations with residents. Most people I spoke to seemed to appreciate us knocking, introducing ourselves, and listening—responding when needed, though not always. Listening matters, but people also want answers.