Newham Cabinet Announcement - Proud to be called to serve

Yesterday evening, I was honoured to be appointed by newly elected Executive Mayor, Forhad Hussain, as his Statutory Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing. I’m grateful to Forhad for his trust and confidence, and I’m excited to work alongside him, his Cabinet, and all Councillor colleagues to do our very best for the residents of Newham.

Check out Newham Council Press release for further details https://www.newham.gov.uk/news/article/1551/mayor-hussain-unveils-his-first-cabinet

"Mayor Forhad Hussain has appointed a new cabinet focused on better services, affordable homes and giving residents a stronger voice, with four councillors leading key portfolios across Newham.

Mayor of Newham Forhad Hussain has named his first cabinet focused on delivering better services, more affordable homes and with a pledge to give residents more say on major issues.

Mayor Hussain was elected last week to lead the borough for the next four years and will be supported by a four-person cabinet.

The first cabinet members are:

Cllr John Gray - Statutory Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing

Cllr Lakmini Shah - Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Communities

Cllr Susan Masters - Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Environment

Cllr Zulfiqar Ali - Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources

Mayor Hussain whilst responsible for overall political leadership, will be responsible for community safety and regeneration as part of the first cabinet. Mayor Hussain previously served as a Labour councillor in Plaistow North from 2010-2018 where he also held senior roles as Cabinet Member for Commercial Opportunities and then as Cabinet Member for Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour.

Mayor Forhad Hussain said: “This is a new chapter for Newham, and I’m proud to be appointing a cabinet rooted in our borough and committed to delivering for local people.

“We were elected on a clear promise to put residents first - to build a council that listens, gets the basics right and delivers real change people can see in their neighbourhoods.

“This team has the experience and local knowledge to help us make Newham cleaner, safer and fairer, strengthen our communities, and rebuild trust by showing we can deliver.”

Full details of each portfolio will be announced at the first Annual Meeting of the new administration on Wednesday May 20".

Candlelight vigil for victims of Domestic Violence on Human Rights Day

This picture is from last Thursday's (10 December) vigil held outside East Ham town hall.

The vigil was held to coincide with Human Rights Day and the end of the United Nation’s 16 Days of Action which aimed to raise awareness of violence against women.

The Newham Council lead on domestic and family violence, Executive member Councillor Lakmini Shah, gave a very moving speech about how she had come across a man punching and kicking a women holding a baby in the street and she had to call upon some male bystanders to stop him. She was then able to call the Police and make sure that the women had medical aid and legal advice. The "man" was already in breach of an injunction not to approach the women and is now thankfully in prison (where he belongs).

Over a 100 Newham residents, women, men and children had gathered for a quiet, dignified and peaceful protest at these hideous crimes.

Newham has the 2nd highest rates of reported domestic violence in London and since 2011 there has been at least 6 murders, the highest in London. This last figure makes it clear that Newham DV "problem" is not just down to better reporting and is something that we need to be ashamed of, prioritise and tackle.

Check out here the excellent Scrunity Report on Domestic Violence in Newham.