Newham Council Meeting - Living Wage Foundation, Cabinet Reports and Pension Divestment

This evening at the Full Council meeting in Stratford Town Hall we started with a "State of the Borough" debate with speeches from the Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, and updates from all 8 cabinet members.

My very short update was as below :-

"As Cabinet lead for Housing Services dealing with the immense challenges our residents face in housing was an absolute central pledge of our manifesto. I can report on some important progress we have made on meeting those promises.

In 2019 Newham Council Housing Services are used our land and money to support the Mayor to deliver on her 1000 Council homes at social rents manifesto commitment.

Also as promised we are committed to tackle homelessness with care and compassionate and we are looking to invest up to £100 million on buying or building good quality temporary accommodation for homeless families.

We have almost doubled the number of enforcement officers in our property licensing team.

We have reintroduced Tenant and Residents forums; we are spending some £200 million on planned improvements to our stock, including new kitchens, windows, bathrooms, roofs, lifts - tacking fuel poverty and also the climate change emergency;

We are due to open 4 local housing hubs across the borough and have established a new team of named officers with responsibility for all council homes in the borough.

More broadly, addressing this crucial issue of housing is central to our Community Wealth Building Strategy, and developing an inclusive economic strategy. So we will be stepping this up in 2020".

After this debate our Newham Partnership update (and Q&A) was by Lucy Bannister from the Living Wage Foundation. Newham is finalising becoming an accredited Living Wage employer. Last year we got 700 Newham social care workers a Living Wage pay rise. As contracts come up for renewal we implement a Living wage clause.

Last week we took back into public service 50 Park Gardeners, many of whom also got a pay rise. Lucy explained the history of the Living Wage Campaign (it was born in East London) and the advantages to employers as well as staff. They are also thinking of setting up a new campaign for "Living Hours" (zero hour contracts etc).

Next were questions from the public and a number of questions had been submitted on why our Newham Staff pension fund should divest from carbon. There was a substantial written response and an offer from the Chair of the Pension Committee to meet and discuss divestment further.

We do have I think the lowest exposure to carbon investment in all 33 London Council pension funds (1.2%). The main reason for this is our fund managers think carbon intensive industries are not good investments. 

Newham Full Council Meeting 14 October 2019: A minutes silence, Cabinet report on Education & Keynote Speaker Duncan Bew

Picture collage from last night's Full Council meeting in the Old Town Hall in Stratford. It was a short but emotive meeting. Starting off with the Newham Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, requesting that the meeting has a minute's silence in memory of the young man tragically killed on Thursday just across the road from this hall.

By coincidence, Cabinet member for Education, Cllr Julianne Marriott, delivered a regular report on the excellent exam results that many schools in Newham have achieved this year and innovations such as the Healthy School Street pilot.

There were petitions presented by Councillors on behalf of their constituents (including one from my ward in West Ham presented by fellow Deputy Mayor, Cllr Charlene McLean). A Motion was passed on changes of Council procurement to make it better on quality and enable Community Wealth Building. There was also a number of minor procedural motions and a fantastic first speech to Council by Cllr Beligica Guana on Indigenous Resistance Day.

Our keynote speaker ("Partners report") was Duncan Bew, whose day job is a Trauma Surgeon in Kings College Hospital and also the Co Chair of the Newham Youth Safety Board. Duncan gave a sobering presentation on his experiences as a Trauma surgeon in East London  but also a positive message that things can and will be done in Newham to address knife crime and youth violence.

In the Q&A I asked Duncan whether he thought UK laws on the probation of drugs increased the risk of violent gang crime? He answered that Gang crime was only responsible for 10% of all murders but such crime was strongly linked to economic deprivation and that young people may get involved in gangs and drug dealing since they think it is an "easy" way out of poverty. 

Newham Full Council Meeting 26 November 2018 : Update on Housing Services report

This is my update to Newham Full Council meeting last week in Stratford Town Hall on our Housing Services as the Cabinet lead. I had 3 minutes for the update and I didn't quite get all of this out in the time allowed.

· Newham Council Housing Services will play its part in meeting the Mayor & Labour Group  manifesto commitment to the building of 1000 Council homes at social rent by 2022. Supplementing £107 million of new money secured from Greater London Authority (the most money granted in London) with Right to Buy capital receipts, use of estate land and prudential borrowing.

· When elected the Mayor cancelled the NewShare (equity shared ownership) programme and brought back 30 units due to be sold back into the social rented housing pool, while existing Council housing developments have also been repurposed to maximise affordable homes as far as possible under the previous administration's arrangements.

· A stock condition survey of all Council owned homes is being carried out with a capital investment programme (borough wide planned maintenance and refurbishment) of £120 million to be spent on improving the existing housing stock.

· Despite the steady rise of temporary homeless to a shocking 5100 families, we currently have no families with children in bed and breakfast temporary accommodation. However, we are running out of available self contained homes.

· A complete review of the allocations procedure and the suitability of the homeless offer is underway.

· A brand new team of resident liaison and resident services officers is being recruited and set up this will mean that soon for the first time in many years, Council tenants, leaseholders (and Councillors) will have names and contact details of housing officers responsible for all Newham estates and blocks as a first point of contact.

· These teams are also planning consultation on the rebirth of the Tenant Residents Associations movement in Newham.

· A program of planned inspections and walkabouts across all Newham Council estates involving residents, officers and Councillors is being drawn up.

· The Private Rental Sector (PRS) Licensing scheme will have an expanded staff team to support residents and good landlords by driving out bad landlords. Money from fines will be used by the Council for further PRS improvements.

· I have met with Chief Executives of Housing Associations which operate in Newham and a borough wide forum of Housing Associations, Council Officers and Councillors will be formed in order to drive up housing management standards.

· Fire safety is a priority and there are monthly Newham Council meetings and inspections on this vital issue.

· Recent criminal prosecutions, confiscation and banning orders, which have been publishised should be sending a clear message that Newham Council will (within the law) not tolerate anti social behaviour by anyone who causes misery for our residents.

· The forthcoming Newham Council Corporate redesign will look at the current fragmented nature of Housing Services and come up with possible solutions to make the service more accountable and effective.