Tonii Wilson wins Beckton By Election for Labour

Congratulations to Newham Councillor Tonii Wilson who was elected last night for Beckton Ward (seen in between existing Cllrs David Christie and Ayesha Chowdhury)

The by-election was caused by the death after a short illness of Cllr Alec Kellaway.

I have previously described Tonii as "supernice" and she is - but I also admire her determination and evident hard work during the campaign.

Thanks are also due to the Agent, Alan Davies, who has run a great campaign.

The actual results were as followed:-

Syed Hussain Ahmed ​        Conservative ​584

​Mark Dunne    ​                    Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition ​21

​Jane Alison Lithgow   ​        Green  ​70        ​

​David Mears                       ​UK Independence (UKIP) ​215          ​

​Kayode Shedowo               ​Christian Peoples Alliance      ​33        ​

David Thorpe  ​                   Liberal Democrat        ​43

​Tonii Wilson    ​                  Labour ​1,006   ​

Turnout was low at 18.87 which is something that politicians do need to do something about. The irony in Newham is that the higher the turnout usually means the higher is the Labour vote.

It was good to see that ultra Tory UKIP running a very poor third. While TUSC came bottom with 21 votes (the 1%ers).

"On the Knocker" in Gallions Reach

Collage is from Saturdays canvass session in Gallions Reach, Beckton.

Tonii Wilson is the excellent Labour candidate (centre of collage) seeking to win this weeks by-election following the tragic sudden death of Cllr Alec Kellaway.  

London Assembly member John Biggs came along to help out as well.

John and I were sent to knock doors and ask residents if they will be supporting Labour on Thursday (11 September) in a new housing development in Gallions Reach. This is made up of several distinctive blocks of flats.  It is quite an attractive site overlooking the Albert Basin.

The response rate was pretty good from the people that we managed to speak to but many were out or didn't open their doors. Always a problem for all canvassers in blocks of flats.

In the middle of the site there is the rather incongruous redbrick 19th Century Gallions Hotel (see top left of collage). Which was built when this area was a dock for travellers about to embark on international P&O voyages. The author Rudyard Kipling stayed at the hotel before setting off for India, and mentions the place in his novel The Light that Failed (1890): “Is it Tilbury and a tender, or Gallions and the docks?”.

Another source states that the hotel used at one time have a bad reputation and was allegedly known as the 'Captain's Brothel'!

Nearby is the Gallions Retail Park which occupies part of the gasworks site where Stanley Kubrick filmed the Vietnam scenes for Full Metal Jacket and scenes from the James Bond film "For Your Eyes Only".

On a more sombre note, last week was the anniversary of the Princess Alice disaster. "On 3 September 1878, on the return upriver from a day trip, the steam powered pleasure steamer 'Princess Alice' collided with the collier 'Bywell Castle' just off Gallion's Reach at Woolwich. In very warm weather the pleasure boat was packed with between 700 and 900 day-trippers. The 'Alice' was only equipped to take 500. She sank almost immediately with the loss of approximately 640 lives".

We are campaigning in Beckton tomorrow: -

Monday - St Marks centre, 218 Tollgate Road, E6 5YA at 6:30pm - 8pm

Tuesday - the junction of Boultwood Road and Harper Road, E6 5QA at 6:30pm - 8pm

Email newhamlabour@gmail.com if you can help out on Wednesday and polling day.  

Beckton By Election Labour doorstep

Last night I joined the Labour Candidate for the Newham Council Beckton By election, Tonii Wilson, for a doorknock in the Windsor Park Estate. Tonii will make an excellent candidate for the ward. Local MP Stephen Timms also joined us

It was touching that so many residents told us how upset they were at the unexpected death of Cllr Alec Kelloway. Many people knew him and recounted what he had done to help them.

I went with local Councillor David Christie.  There was a very positive Labour response. While there was a number of complaints about local social landlord, East Thames Housing Association, failure to maintain the local environment, I actually thought that there had been an improvement to the area in recent years but obviously there needs to be more done.

I understand that there has been a number of high profile evictions of criminal residents in recent years which have had a significant positive impact. Good.

I must admit to being intrigued about the unusual street names in the area such as "Warwell" and "Horse Leaze". No-one seemed to know why. I am sure Alec would have known and told me exactly why.

I spoke to a very sensible young man who had been born and brought up on the estate who agreed that there had been improvements but thought that there needs to be more youth services in the area. I see the local community centre has now been closed by East Thames?

I'm sure that Tonii and the current Councillors, David and Ayesha will be doing what they can to improve services.

I will post a personal tribute to Cllr Alec Kellaway in the near future.

West Ham Labour Party AGM 2014 - The return of Agent Gray

On Thursday evening there was the AGM of West Ham Constituency Labour Party (CLP) which took place at our headquarters in the High Street, Stratford, E15.

The meeting began a with a 2 minutes silence to mark the recent unexpected death of respected East Ham Councillor, Alec Kellaway.  I known Alec for many years and and had worked closely with him on the Council Investment and Accounts Committee.  He had always been very considerate and supportive. His death is a personal shock and a great loss to the Party. Council meetings will not be the same without his home baked cakes.

The AGM went very smoothly and congratulations to the re-elected Chair, Charlene McLean and the other elected constituency officers;  Alan Griffiths, John Saunders, Gordon Miller, Julianne Marriott and Seyi Akiwowo. 

Elected CLP Coordinators are Dianne Walls, Kim Silver, Veronica Oakeshott, Rania Ramli, Winston Vaughan, Conor McAuley, Terry Paul and David Christie.

Due to a very previous wicked life, I was elected as Campaign Coordinator and Agent with Mas Patel as Assistant.

Obviously the next year will be dominated by the forthcoming General Election and the need to re-elect our excellent local MP, Lyn Brown. While it is vital to keep up with the energetic local campaigning and canvassing that we have carried out since 2010, we all know that unless Labour wins its national target seats next year, Newham will be stuffed by a return of Tory rule.

Therefore we have a duty to make sure that in West Ham we do our bit in the target seats that we have been asked by the Party to support. As our Secretary, Alan Griffith, reminded us on the night, we have only "45 weeks until the 7th May 2014 General Election". Let us by hard work and unity turn this statement into we have only "45 weeks to get rid of this rotten Tory led Government".

(Picture of our West Ham HQ during the General Election 2010 when I was also the Agent)

Newham Annual Council Meeting 2012

Last night (Thursday 17 May) was the London Borough of Newham Annual Council meeting. It was held in our historic Stratford Town Hall.

It opened with live classical music from some of the 7000 Newham Primary school pupils who had benefited from the Council's "Every Child a Musician" programme" followed by the formal Council business.

This included a motion to better regulate the blight of Betting Shops (bookies) on our High Streets moved by Cllr Neil Wilson (and seconded by myself). Then speeches by Sir Robin Wales, our Executive Mayor, honouring Cllr Alec Kellaway (the Chair of our Pensions Committee) for his 25 years of service and Cllr Conor MacAuley for his 30 years!

The Newham Young Mayor and the (Old) Mayor Sir Robin Wales both gave speeches. Robin reminded us there was only 71 days before the start of the London Olympics and how the eyes of the world will be on Newham. 

I was really pleased that the meeting also honoured all those Newham Residents who had been nominated for Inspiring Peoples Awards.  Kim Stevens, who is one of the tireless volunteers who runs the Vicarage Lane Community centre in West Ham ward (see Kim in collage bottom right) was so nominated and she had been honoured with tickets to the Olympics 100m Sprint Mens final! Well done Kim and well deserved for all your hard work to the local community.

Of course Keir Hardie (bottom left) the first ever Labour MP elected in this same Town Hall for West Ham South on the 4th July 1892 as ever kept a careful eye on events.

Newham Fringe

After TULO we then dashed off to the Newham fringe event. This was a “round table” informal discussion on regeneration and development issues. We had got the times wrong so we missed most of it.

Anyway – any excuse for another photo! Left to right – Cllr Unmesh Desai, Cllr Alec Kellaway, Sir Robin Wales – elected Newham Mayor, Alan Griffiths (UNISON), Stephen Timms East Ham MP, Charlene McLean (West Ham), Lord Victor Adebowale, Rachel Tripp (West Ham), Moi.