Labour Party conference 2023 - Sunday

Today started off with a gentle 2.5 mile jog along the Mersey then back again.  At 12.30 I took part in a well attended, lively panel organised by the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum on "Green washing" which I will post on later.  

I am not a delegate this year at conference but attending as a elected Labour Councillor and enjoying the freedom of not being required for early morning delegation meetings and attending all conference debates and speeches (no matter how boring).

In the afternoon I checked out the conference stalls and met up with various contacts and colleagues for coffee and gossip. I had a "hello stranger, long time no see" from London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, as he walked past quickly with his escort to his next event. 

At 6pm I attended the Labour Unions reception and heard some great speeches and contributions especially from our deputy leader Angela Rayner MP and leader Keir Starmer. 

Afterwards I went to the Association of Labour Councillors reception and then the Labour Friends of Bangladesh event. During which I was asked to make a speech on my role as a housing worker in Tower Hamlets for the past 31 years and as a UNISON trade union and Labour activist.  Great food and company. 

After that I went back to my accomodation and will very shortly crash out. A good day. 
 

Vote FIAZ, Rokhsana #1 - London Rep on Executive of Association of Labour Cllrs

(In a personal capacity and as a London Cllr I fully support Rokhsana as a candidate to be the ALC rep for London. She has integrity and principles and will be a fantastic advocate for London Councillors at the ALC). Vote FIAZ, Rokhsana #1 Association of Labour Councillors Executive Representative for London Region Cllr Rokhsana Fiaz  Councillors at the heart of Labour's future Dear Friend,   You’ll have received details of how to vote online or via post for the next Leader and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, and as a Labour councillor you are also able to vote for your Association of Labour Councillors executive representative for the London Region.   As a candidate, I am seeking your support because I want to make sure that Councillors are at the heart of Labour’s policy and campaigning future.   I am a Councillor in Newham - one of London’s most ethnically diverse, dynamic but poorest boroughs - and bring a strong track record of policy development and delivery. I also bring three decades worth of advocacy, campaigning and organising experience in the party and in local communities.  I’ve led UK-wide, European and international campaigns including a Global Week of Action for Oxfam’s ‘Robin Hood Tax’, a worldwide movement of people committed to reducing poverty and tackling climate change by taxing financial transactions.   As the ALC Executive member representing the London region, I will bring all these skills to bear as our party prepares for London Mayoral and Assembly elections in 2016, which winning decisively has to be our key priority.   We need to ensure that with a Labour Mayor, we work to tackle London’s challenges, a global city whose population is set to grow to ten million.  Labour Councillors in London, as elsewhere, are at the forefront of the battle against the reckless cuts to local authority budgets by the Tories. But we are also contending with unique problems and demands: an acute housing crisis; skyrocketing rents; and a generation of Londoners for whom the cost of living doesn’t match their real income. We need more investment in transport and the skills agenda to help our businesses and people to thrive. London’s economic prosperity, projected to grow in the midst of a wider climate of austerity, has to benefit all Londoners. All these issues and more also mean that as Labour councillors we need to play a crucial role in shaping Labour’s offer to people across our country with the new Leader and Deputy Leader. How we reshape doing the business of politics in our communities, on the doorstep and online needs to respond to the massive challenges facing our party and our country as we build a winning movement ready for 2020.     As your Executive Committee representative I am committed to ensuring that London Councillors are at the forefront of that. I will also work to ensure that the Association of Labour Councillors continues to punch its weight within the Party, be it through building on the work of Labour’s Local Government Innovation Taskforce; or ensuring that Councillors are at the heart of driving the devolution agenda so that there is better involvement, better decisions and better outcomes for our communities at local level.   I will also make it my priority to improve the training and support that the Association of Labour Councillors offers to our growing diversity of amazing member talent.  That's why, if you are still considering who to vote for as your first preference, I hope I can count on your support. Of course, I'd be delighted to talk with you, so feel free to contact me if you would like to find out more about why I am standing and my plans. I’d love to hear from you! Yours sincerely, Cllr Rokhsana Fiaz OBE Custom House ward, London Borough of Newham: @rokhsanafiaz P.S. Remember, the deadline for returning your ballot paper or voting online ismidday on the 10th September.    A bit more about my work as a Councillor:  Children and Young Peoples Scrutiny Commission (Deputy Chair) Overview & Scrutiny Committee  Budget Working Group  Audit Board  Strategic Development Committee