Yesterday, after the West Ham litter pick, I cycled to Upton Station for the 1pm Plaistow Super Saturday campaign session. There were four different events across Plaistow that day, supported by East Ham MP Stephen Timms and West Ham & Beckton MP James Asser.
I was assigned to a team backing local Plaistow North Councillor Zulfiqar Ali and his candidate team, Joy and Pervez, who were out with other teams.
Zulfiqar, a well-known and active councillor, personally knew many residents and had a great rapport with them. The canvassing went really well, though there were a few tough conversations with residents who had been let down by both social and private landlords, as well as by fifteen years of Tory governments failing to provide enough social housing to meet demand.
It’s important to be honest with those in desperate situations that change won’t happen overnight, but Labour is committed to delivering hundreds of thousands of truly affordable homes for those who feel they may never get on the housing ladder.
One thing I heard for the first time, which made me angry, was from a resident who said corrupt letting agents and private landlords were taking money from vulnerable tenants by falsely claiming that eviction would help them get a council house—completely untrue, and in fact likely to have the opposite effect. If I find any evidence of this, (and I will be looking) I will report it to the police and other enforcement bodies.
The weather was warm, with blue skies and sunshine, and the beautiful spring blossom made it even more enjoyable.
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