Election Day West Ham Ward 2014

This post is about my day as a Labour Councillor candidate last Thursday on Election day.

It started at 7am outside the polling station in West Ham Church School in the Portway, E15. This was one of 4 polling stations in West Ham Ward, Newham. My fellow Labour candidate Freda Vaughan was outside Vicarage Lane polling station while John Whitworth was covering Manor School.

In the morning it was blue skies & sunshine. It was quiet but there was a steady flow of voters. I went and introduced myself to the Presiding officer and staff at Church and then Ranelagh school.

We are allowed to speak to voters outside the school gates, ask them to vote for us and offer a leaflet. After a stream of "Don't need to ask, I'm voting Labour", "Labour all the way", broad grins, thumbs up and even pats on my back, I had one women shout at me that she wouldn't vote for Labour, she was a real socialist and we should shoot that **** of a leader. I wasn't sure if she meant Ed Miliband or Robin Wales but I responded by telling her that we did not want her support and that she is barred from voting Labour! When she came back she seemed to have changed her mind somewhat and said a cheery "Good luck anyway".

After 10am there was a lull and I had a full English breakfast with Freda at Solmos cafe. John had to go to work (he is a teacher at a FE college and could not take the day off).

When we came back to the polling stations we found out that the Tories had arrived! Conservative candidate Matej was born in Slovenia. He seemed a decent bloke but when I asked him what motivated him politically to be a Conservative candidate in the UK he didn't really give me an answer.

I didn't have a conversation with Farahana (see photo collage) who was the Asian British female Tory candidate but did speak to her friends and family who were supporting her (none of whom lived in Newham). It was clear that they were not actual Conservative Party supporters. They would support Labour during the general election but felt that in Newham the local Party leadership was arrogant and would not listen to their concerns.

The 3rd Tory candidate was Mary (see photo collage) who was far too nice to be a real Tory and admitted that she had been "volunteered" to be a candidate.

Unlike elsewhere in the borough, where there was disgusting Respect style intimidation and violence by so called "Conservative" supporters, the West Ham ward "Tories" and their supporters were friendly and pleasant. A little over enthusiastic at times and strong believers that they could convince voters to support their cause at the door of the polling station.

I accepted a soft drink from one of the Tories and posted on Facebook - is this "treating" and does this make me a class traitor?

Some of the voters were rather direct and rude to the Tories. In particular those who were suffering from the impact of the bedroom tax.

The weather changed and it poured down for a while but then cleared up.

We had a number of local Party volunteers to fly the flag outside polling stations including Veronica and her baby! Normally I would not have spent all the time on polling stations and instead would be "knocking up" Labour supporters and reminding them to vote. However, we decided to keep an eye on the Tories. I also "stole" top UNISON canvasser, Montrose Matty (white tee-shirt) from Plaistow North ward to help keep them in line.

Monty and I noticed that the family supporters of Tory candidate Farahana were encouraging people only to vote for her "number 5"on the ballot paper. We decided to helpfully pass on this information to the other two Tory candidates. This caused some upset in the "blue" team.

In the evening our local MP, Lyn Brown (and Cara, her Labour attack terrier) joined us on the polling stations. At 10pm the polling stations closed and we went off for pizza and red, red wine

Re-elected as Labour Councillor for West Ham

I was privileged to be re-elected as a Councillor for West Ham ward in Newham, London today, together with Labour colleagues Freda Bourne and John Whitworth. It has been an exhausting past few days, weeks and months. Once I recover I will post in more details about polling day and the count.

Labour won all 60 Council seats in Newham by large margins and Sir Robin Wales was re-elected as Executive Mayor with 61% of the vote.

I have said it before and will say it again, it is a humbling experience to be shown so much trust and support.  Many thanks to all those who voted for us and to those who helped out campaigning in the ward (big thanks to my UNISON comrade, Montrose Matty, for sorting out over enthusiastic Tories outside West Ham polling stations)

West Ham - results

Election Candidate	Party	Votes	%
Freda Ann Bourne	Labour	2046	24%	Elected
John Whitworth	Labour	1939	22%	Elected
John Gray	Labour	1913	22%	Elected
Farhana Firdous	Conservative	617	7%	Not elected
Mary Antwi	Conservative	525	6%	Not elected
Matej Gasparic	Conservative	456	5%	Not elected
Michael Edward Armstrong	UK Independence Party (UKIP)	381	4%	Not elected
Edgar Aguinaldo Garen	Liberal Democrat	259	3%	Not elected
Sheila Iris Brown	Christian Peoples Alliance	231	3%	Not elected
Myrtle Verona Laing	Christian Peoples Alliance	151	2%	Not elected
Joe Mettle	Christian Peoples Alliance	136	2%	Not elected

West Ham & Stratford Super Saturday

This morning and afternoon we went door knocking in some of our West Ham ward high rise and tower blocks.

We had been keeping them back this campaign to canvass when it has been raining but so far (touch wood) we have been really lucky with the weather.

During our lunch break I went with my fellow West Hammer candidate, John Whitworth, to Stratford ward who had a "Super Saturday" with our MP, Lyn Brown, (and Cara the Labour attack dog).

I spent some time with an elderly resident who has lived in her block for 50 years. Who wanted to tell me what life was like when she first moved into West Ham. She still likes living here and her neighbours but due to mobility problems finds it hard to go to the supermarkets in Stratford.  She  wishes that all the local bakeries, greengrocers and butchers she remembers from 1964 were still around. 

I also had some good natured banter with some cheeky West Ham youngsters playing football in the street who with glee rescued our canvass team when we got locked inside a communal garden area.  

While many things have indeed changed in the last 50 years, I bet that the kids playing football in Cridland Street, E15 have changed not one bit.

Click on photo to bring up detail.

Standing as a Labour Candidate for West Ham Ward, Newham Council 2014

My nomination papers were accepted last week and I am now again a Councillor candidate for West Ham Ward in London Borough of Newham. Standing with my good comrades Freda Bourne and John Whitworth.

I am very proud and honoured to have been shortlisted and reselected (for the second time) by West Ham Ward Labour Party.

Today (Saturday) I was out "on the knocker" with fellow candidates and ward activists in the morning and afternoon.

There is definitely a different feel to campaigning during an actual election when compared to our normal regular street surgeries. When we speak to electors they tend to be more assertive about their issues and problems which they want us to be aware of and to deal with.

It is humbling the support that the Labour Party gets in this traditional heartland. Now not exactly everyone shares this view but the majority identify with us and many actually say "Labour is our Party". This is a huge responsibility for all of us to do right thing by their loyalty. 

I thank all the democratic Newham Council candidates, regardless of which Party, for taking part in this election and hope it is a decent clean campaign, that will do the wider political process credit (of course I want all our Labour candidates to win!).

Best of luck as well to our Labour London European Candidates whose election is being held on the same day.

West Ham Labour Party Ward Re-selection result for 2014

Yesterday I was reselected by members of West Ham Labour Party Ward to be their candidate in the Newham local Council elections in 2014. This was after a hustings in the Old Town Hall in Stratford where all applicants had to give a presentation and then a Q&A with Ward members. Freda Bourne (to my right) and John Whitworth (my 2nd left) were also selected.

Picture of the three of us and some of the West Ham ward members (and EC member Neil Wilson!)

Out and about for Labour in West Ham

Today I took annual leave from work and campaigned for Ken and Labour in my ward, West Ham. In Newham there were a number of target wards in which we ran full GOTY (Get out the Vote) sessions with polling agents and "knock up" teams. In the rest of the borough we had smaller teams "working their ward" to maximise
turnout.

It was a great day. The rain held off (only a little bit of drizzle now and then - nothing like what we have had in recent weeks). Collage Picture of key West Ham Labour activists John Whitworth, Montrose Matty, Councillor Ron Manley and Freda Bourne (double click to bring up detail). I only heard one negative political comment all day from the hundreds we came in contact with (an attack on Ed Miliband coupled with a tease about "Red Ken").  The majority of "West Ham-mers" were genuinely open and enthusiastic about voting for Ken and Labour (although one person said she would normally vote Labour but she use to be a waitress and she once served him but he didn't give her a tip! I said I am sure that there must have been some sort of a misunderstanding).  The ward is a traditional Labour heartland (as is most of Newham) and the support for the Party amongst all parts of the community is genuinely humbling. Afterwards we went for a beer and a curry in the excellent Manus Palm Grove Restaurant in West Ham Lane.

The London Count does not start until tomorrow morning and the results not expected until late Friday.  I am sure that Labour will do well but turnout is key. Will Tory supporters do what Labour supporters do when they are "unhappy" with a Labour Government and sit on their hands and not vote???    

PC Nina Mackay

Last Saturday I was campaigning in Arthingworth Street, West Ham, E15 with my fellow ward Councillor, Freda Bourne.

I took this picture of the memorial to 25 year old Police Constable Nina Mackay. She had been murdered in 1997 at this address while trying to arrest a mentally ill man.  I can still remember the shock that I felt at the time on learning about her death.

This is a quiet and normally peaceful back street area and it is very sobering to come across such memorials to a public servant who died in the course of her duties while trying to protect the public.

Tomorrow is also Workers Memorial Day.

Abbey Gardens Harvest Festival 2011: What will the Harvest be?

Yesterday afternoon I was judging the "best vegetable sculpture" and the "best sport themed cake competition" with my fellow West Ham Ward Councillor, Freda Bourne.  We were at the Abbey Gardens Harvest Festival.

In the best traditions of any British outdoor event, it of course poured down with rain, then cleared up with sunshine, before pouring down with rain again. No one seemed that bothered. The children seemed to relish the weather.

Check out the remarkable history of Abbey Gardens "a community garden in West Ham surrounding part of the ruins of a 12th century abbey" and the "Plaistow Landgrabbers" here, here and photo here.

(double click photo to bring up details)

Councillor Ron Manley: 25 Years Award

Picture is from last nights Newham Council Annual General meeting in the Old Town Hall in Stratford, E15.  Ron (2nd from right) is being presented with a picture of West Ham Church by Newham Mayor, Sir Robin Wales for serving the community as a Councillor for 25 years.

Ron is my fellow Labour Councillor in West Ham Ward (with Cllr Freda Bourne).  He is orginally from Liverpool, who spent 9 years in the British Army before settling down in Newham with his wife Jean. They recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversity. Ron and Jean live in the ward and are proud to be Council tenants.  

One Year on...West Ham Ward Election Declaration 7 May 2010

Tempus fugit. It's been a year to the day since I was elected with Freda and Ron as Labour Councillors for West Ham Ward in Newham, London.  The term actually began officially on May 10.  While in London (especially in the East) we defeated the Tories and wiped out the BNP, nationally of course, it was a disaster which we are now paying the price.

Newham Council Civic Reception to Honour 7 Rifles

On Thursday evening there was a Newham Council Civic reception in the historic Old Town Hall in Stratford to honour the soldiers who serve in our local Territorial Army infantry Battalion, The 7 Rifles. 

A number of whom over the years have volunteered to support their Regular Army Rifle Regiment counterparts on tours of duty. 

The Company headquarters are in actually my ward at the TA Centre, Portway, E15.  Not only that but my fellow ward Councillor, Freda Bourne,  has a son currently serving in Afghanistan and our third ward Councillor, Ron Manley (a former regular soldier) has a grandson who is due to go out in December.

Next year they are looking for 15 soldiers from West Ham to go to Afghanistan and join the Regular Army Battalion for a winter tour.

It was a privilege and a pleasure to talk to our soldiers about their experiences.  Some of them had brought their wives and partners to the reception. 

I spoke to a newly qualified London bus driver based in Newham who had been on 7 different military tours including Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Kenya and Cyprus. 

During the formal speeches Newham Mayor, Sir Robin Wales, thanked all of our service men and women who put themselves at risk on behalf of our country.  He pointed out that Newham Councillors represents all sections of the community and we are all very proud and supportive of 7 Rifles. 

Our local MP Lyn Brown was also there chatting to the soldiers and their partners.  I was particular impressed with the honesty and openness shown by some of these soldiers who had fought in recent conflicts and who had lost friends and comrades.  The Rifles Regiment as a whole I believe has had 52 men killed in action in Afghanistan. With Remembrance Day coming soon our thoughts are with their friends and families.

I was pleased to find out while in conversation with the Deputy Lieutenant of Newham, Colonel Mike Dudding, that in a former life he had been a trade union rep as well!

(pictured with Cllr Sharaf Mahmood and Cllr Firoza Nekiwala with members of 7 Rifles)

First day of London Blitz 70th anniversity: Abbey Road Depot

Last week I posted about the first day of the London Blitz in West Ham on 7 September 1940.  That day 5 civilians were killed in in their garden shelter's in Ranelagh Road, E15.

Yesterday I went on a ward "walkabout" with my fellow West Ham Councillors, Ron and Freda, together with senior Council officers. 

We passed this memorial to 13 "Air Raid Precaution and Fire Service" personal who were killed on the same day at the Abbey Road Depot by German bombing.

This depot was first opened by West Ham Counicl 1896 and is still used now as a depot by Newham Homes.

Nearby Turley Close, E15 is named after Wally Turley. Turley was a sub officer in the West Ham Fire Brigade who was killed that day.

Red Newham: 63 – Nil

Not forgetting for a moment that we were beaten nationally and are facing the awful prospect of a Tory/Liberal coalition government. I will congratulate Labour comrades in Newham and across London for some magnificent results.

In Newham as I have already posted here our two MPs were re-elected with massive and increased majorities and there was a swing from the Conservatives to Labour!

Our Labour Mayor, Sir Robin Wales, was elected on the first ballot with an equally huge majority and nearly 65,000 votes (68% of turnout).

While we also won all 60 Councillor seats in Newham Council with thumping majorities - defeating the last remaining Respect Councillor and seeing off the simply dreadful CPA by over 600 votes. The Tories came closest at Royal Docks ward but still lost by over 400 votes.

I was really pleased and very proud to be elected as a Labour Councillor with Ron Manley and Freda Bourne for West Ham ward. Freda came top with 3290 votes, Ron next with 3048 and I was the 3rd elected member with 2906. The 4th non-elected candidate was a Conservative who polled 886.  There was another 6 opposition candidates.

Arguable it was "65 - nil" since our London Assembly member John Biggs and our MEP Claude Moraes are both Labour as well. Check out Newham results here.

I will post further on the campaign and the ordeal of the Counts another time.

Congratulation to Barking and Dagenham comrades (and “Hope not Hate”) who wiped out all the BNP Councillors and also took all the Council seats (51 – nil). Special mention to UNISON NEC member and Lolly pop lady, Louise Couling, who DID defeat BNP Assembly member Barnbrook.

I was also ecstatic that Team Labour was elected in Tower Hamlets.   Rushanara Ali was elected MP for Bethnal Green & Bow, Respect were practically wiped out (only one seat left) and the utterly loathsome (and now exposed as cowardly) Mr Galloway, was soundly defeated by Jim Fitzpatrick in Limehouse and Poplar.

I understand that Labour will now control a majority of “London Councils”.

Finally Commiserations to all Labour Parliamentary and Council Candidates who were not elected. We must not be carried away with our relative local successes but must concentrate now on getting the National Party in shape, revitalised and re-organised in time for a probable general election coming some time soon.

West Ham Team Labour “on the knocker” in Royal Docks

My second campaign canvass on Bank Holiday Monday was with my fellow Labour candidates for West Ham ward while “on the knocker” in Royal Docks ward, East Ham.

See picture of Ron and Freda with the famous “Lyons Golden Syrup” sign behind them (Tate and Lyle factory). This took place in typical British May weather. Sunshine one moment followed rapidly by rain then more sunshine.

Royal Docks ward had a strong Tory challenge at a recent by-election. But I thought our voter ID reception yesterday was pretty good. Local residents appreciate the work of the Royal Docks councillors and nobody appears to have any appetite for the Tories - locally or nationally.

Your Labour Team in West Ham

Great to see Ted, Gerry, Victor, Rhoda and Louis as our local West Ham endorsers!

West Ham Labour: Working for You

Double click left to bring up detail.

Labour Party Council Candidates for West Ham Ward 2010 Election

It’s now official. Freda Bourne, Ron Manley and I are Labour Party Council candidates for West Ham Ward in Newham.

Sir Robin Wales is the Labour Party candidate for Mayor of Newham.

Lyn Brown will be nominated as our Labour Party Parliamentary candidate for West Ham Constituency next week.

Team Labour!  All working together for the People of Newham.

100% 4 Labour

Yesterday evening was a bit of a “red letter” day for me. For the first time ever I went out door to door canvassing and every person we spoke to who voted in elections declared themselves as Labour Party supporters.

Most were more positive than some...but okay, okay - this was in a solid Labour Council ward (West Ham – all three Councillors are Labour) in a safe Labour seat (Lyn Brown MP) and the borough has a Labour Mayor (Sir Robin Wales) and at least 54 Councillors out of possible 60.

It also had the largest Labour majority in the country at the Euro-elections. But I have never ever gone out and knocked on doors and had no-one “Against”, “refusing” to say (usually but not always Against) or a supporter of another political party. I am not going to get too excited about this since tomorrow evenings canvass may well be a different experience. Such is politics. But I think there is message somewhere – the polls do seem to be slowly closing the gap (too slowly) but I do think that the penny is beginning to drop and voters are thinking about what will happen to their jobs, wages, pensions, schools, social services and hospitals if the Tories do get in.

It is too easy to slag off Labour and run down their achievements - sometimes they deserve to be slapped around (e.g. the Posties) but the alternatives to Labour are frankly just too dire to contemplate (see photo previous post).

One thing that did trouble me was when we called at an address where a couple in their mid to late 20’s answered the door (with their young toddler who was making cheerful loud noises and enthusiastically trying all different ways to escape and run out of the door into the corridor) and they explained to us that they had never voted in their lives. They were not at all hostile and seemed quite happy to speak to us but seemed to be a little astonished that we should be calling on them and asking them to vote (for anyone). They were very much the exception but...

A useful reality check.

(Picture of West Ham parish Church, Cllr Bourne with the Ironmongers stone and the various local history information boards placed on the building site boundary walls)

Campaign in West Ham, West Ham

I’ve been helping out the local Labour Party branch in West Ham ward - West Ham CLP with voter ID (aka on the knocker) for the past couple of weeks.

The pictures are of activists on the evening sessions (Labour Party Stalwart John Whitworth, local Councillor Freda Bourne and activist Jennifer Sheikh) outside the newly built Rokeby Community centre. This is also a Sure Start centre which if the Tories get their wicked way they will close.

West Ham is a solid Labour ward with three Labour Councillors and the doorstep reaction is at times humbling since it is so overwhelmingly positive and loyal Labour.

However I had a real conversation with an angry but still polite unemployed construction worker of about my own age who complained that he couldn’t get work because of all the East Europeans taking all the jobs. The ward is within walking distance of the Stratford Olympic site. He wasn’t impressed with my initial argument that I don’t think that this statement was actually accurate and that also there are similar numbers of Brits working aboard to that of foreign nationals working over here - I mentioned members of my own family who work abroad and other friends who are part of the wider British diaspora especially in overseas construction projects.

He was then even less impressed with my comment that we should be aware that since neither of us were born in London and both of us probably came here looking for work (he had a strong Scottish accent) that there are probably locals who resented us coming to London “taking their jobs”. To which he said this was different since he was British. I asked him as a fellow (half) Scot if he had never heard his fellow London born workers moaning about us “jocks” coming down and stealing their jobs? To which he said that he did not care what I said and that while he did really want a Labour not a Conservative Government most of all he just wanted a bloody job. Which was fair enough and there is a clear message there for us politicos.

The borough of Newham at the next election will have two parliamentary seats within it - West Ham (Lyn Brown MP) and East Ham (Stephen Timms MP). West Ham ward is one of the 9 wards within the West Ham Parliamentary Constituency. Confusingly the world famous football club West Ham is actually located in East Ham.

Lyn Brown MP – West Ham “T” Party

This morning I helped out at the latest “Community Development” meeting held by local Labour MP, Lyn Brown, at the Vicarage Lane Centre in Stratford.

These meetings (better known as “Tea Parties”) are organised by Lyn’s Parliamentary office and take place all over her constituency. She invites local residents to meet herself, local Councillors (today Ron Manley seen back of photo and Freda Bourne) and the ward Police Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT).

The purpose of these meetings is to informally discuss local problems, issues and possible solutions over tea and biscuits. These meetings I think have been hugely successful.

In London every single Council ward has a dedicated team of regular police and Community Support Officers. I think that these teams (which is a local and national Labour party initiative opposed by the Tories) are making a big difference to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour especially in urban areas.

I think about 70 people turned up this morning and I sat and chatted with people while they were waiting to see Lyn or the Councillors. One common problem that came up was about irresponsible landlords who were converting terrace houses into Houses in Multiple Occupations (HMO). These landlords carry out botched conversions, leave behind building rubble and fail to maintain the properties properly. Many of these rogue landlords also do nothing about the small minority of their residents who cause a nuisance and even misery to their neighbours.

Nowadays the Council can prosecute Landlords of HMOs who fail to manage their properties and even in extreme cases they can take over their management.

I’ll be interested to see some research on how effective this licensing has been.

One thing that I found striking was that on one table none of the residents knew each other even though they had all lived in the ward for many years. None of them had never met their local MP, Councillors or the SNT before today. So simply turning up and discussing problems with each other and their elected representatives was a good start I think.

Finally, on a negative note, many Newham Labour party members who also popped by to show their support, were stunned at the sacking of Newham UNISON Chair Michael Gavan by the Council. I’m speaking to the branch to find out what happens next and what can be done to help.