Tower Hamlets Elected Mayor: New Labour Shortlist

 Hat-tip to Dave Hill who is the first person I think to report on the new shortlist to be the Labour candidate for Elected Mayor. 

"The original had contained three: the borough's former leader and current London assembly member John Biggs, and two councillors: Shiria Khatun and Sirajul Islam. Both Biggs and Khatun have made it on to the second shortlist too, while Islam has not. They've been joined by three others, all of whom were unsuccessful last time. They are health service manager Rosna Mortuza, the Council's present leader Helal Abbas and another previous leader, Michael Keith".

I think the all members ballot is in 2 weeks and the election itself is on October 21.

"Why we need rent controls" by Boris sibling and "The Firm"

Inside Housing magazine is running a great campaign against the proposed CONDEM class cleansing of poor people in prosperous and middle class Councils (my interpretation not theirs) by limiting housing benefit for tenants. This will result in mass evictions.  170,000 households in London could be affected (see link below).

This is a really important battle which I hope anyone with an ounce of social conscious will support. Unless we have balanced and mixed communities across London then we will just end up with USA style ghettos which blight entire cities.

What I was surprised to read on Dave Hill’s London blog that journalist Rachel Johnson (sister of London Mayor Boris and editor of “The Lady” magazine) called for statutory controls on rent levels as the best way of tackling high rents in central London!

More power to your elbow Rae and hope you will get Boris to agree!

(Picture is of the newly appointed *Commission only" rent arrears enforcement advisers to Tory Housing minister Grant Shapps)

Plug No 2 from London MEP Mary Honeyball

The 2nd positive plug of the week for this blog was from Mary Honeyball , who is one of the few (very few) female MEP bloggers.

She is having a go here at the new “Labourlist” - a Labour Party supporting blog set up by Derek Draper.

She thinks it is too London centric, there is not enough on Europe or foreign affairs, not enough women contributors and not enough from the regions. She also recommends that :-

“Labourlist should also make cleverer political judgments by, for example, remembering that the majority of Labour representatives, including myself, are in opposition rather than power. Someone like Stephen Cowan reporting from the frontline fighting the Tory Taliban in Hammersmith merits a slot. For a Trade union voice active in the Party, LabourList should perhaps include John Gray”.

This is picked up by on-line Guardian blogger, Dave Hill, here

Of course... I couldn’t possible comment (or disagree).