"Fixing the broken housing market - Local Government leading the way" Labour conference 2018 fringe

Will be there.

Local Government Association Conference 2018

This post is a little late but some thoughts from a first time delegate to the annual Local Government Association Conference in Birmingham. I arrived late due to attending Newham Cabinet meeting.  My Newham Cabinet colleague, Terry Paul, was there to greet me and give me the benefit of his extensive views on the first day of conference and the day ahead.

Below is based upon my tweets on the second day of LGA Tuesday 3 July.

"At #LGAconf18 with Lord Richard Best (respected independent peer in House of Lords) making an opening speech about the "Revolution" in #housing since 2015. The failure of UK house builders is key to this revolution. UK House builders are a "hopeless industry". He detailed 10 significant complaints about the industry which made (mostly) sense to me. I will try and find a link to his speech.

I asked a question to Lord Best about why getting access to all "right to buy" receipts & changes in regulation is all well & good but it is tinkering on the edges. We have 26k Households on our waiting list in Newham. The only way to really deal with housing crisis is for the Government to put its hands in their pocket & provide public subsidy.

Lord Best agreed!

Next was a plenary with @NewhamLondon Mayor @rokhsanafiaz and other panel members. There seemed to be some agreement that  #housing is our number one priority.

There was some heckling from Tories as Rokhsana tried to put forward a reasoned argument about why social care provision needs to be paid for by the state rather than sound bites. An aggressive journalist chair of the panel, was trying to paint Labour as the Loony left "tax and spend" Party.  Rokhsana was not having none of this.

Next I was at the workshop "Building the Right Homes in the Right Places" with Nick Walkley, the "man from the ministry" (CEO of Homes England NB not the regulator for London) as a panel speaker.

My question to this panel was on the possible role of Council #pension funds in provision of social housing & market rents (not forgetting pensions should be run first and foremost in the interests of beneficiaries)? The panel answer was "yes, good question but we haven't yet got total answer but "power to your elbow" for asking.

Make of this as you will but I thought positive?

After lunch we had a brilliant plenary speech by my long standing UNISON colleague and now Shadow Secretary of State for Education @AngelaRayner MP. "90 children entered care everyday. Lack of funding is dangerous and should be a National scandal".

Conservative Minister @RishiSunak spoke next about digital services revolution. He mentioned Hackney Council who had worked out that each physical visit by residents to the Council cost £12. While it cost £4 for each telephone call but only 30p for each online visit. He also said that research showed that 60% of social workers time is spent simply inputting data. He called for local government to "Fix the digital plumbing".

I asked him a question that while I totally get the benefits of digital we must never forget the large number of vulnerable residents who cannot access digital. We need to retain the human touch. He said he agreed & said you can recycle digital saving into providing frontline services.

Hackney Mayor, Philip Glanville, followed my question to him with a further one that a) we should be creating genuinely human centred services (local govt better @ this than Whitehall) & b) he needs to change attitudes in Govt, data sharing isn’t good enough, platforms need to be truly open & systems like Universal Credit are inhumane. (I don't think that Philip got a full reply).

I had to leave that evening for a UNISON forum in Newcastle. I must admit being on the whole impressed with the conference, the speeches, seminars and exhibitions. It is good to get out of your silos from time to time and be exposed to new ideas and views.

Newham Great 10k Run 2017

Before (top middle) and after (bottom middle) picture of me taking part in the Newham Great Run (wearing finishing tee shirt and medal)  I will admit to have forgotten that I had entered and due to the General election and UNISON conference, I had not trained specifically for the this run until last week.  Yet I was only 32 seconds slower than last year, when I did train (and training for a triathlon!)

My legs are very sore due to the lack of training and I suspect that I will suffer tomorrow morning.

This was a great run. It was hot but there was a lovely breeze, which I think saved the day. I did not see any runners collapsed on the side of the road which I think is a first for any of the Newham runs I have entered in the last few years.

Some working class history on route is that we ran past what I think is the site of the Chobham Farm container depot, where in 1972 an "unlawful" trade union picket took place which resulted in the imprisonment of 5 London dock workers including Vic Turner, who later on became the Mayor of Newham Council.

This imprisonment resulted in a largely successful General Strike, which led to the Pentonville 5 dockers being released. I have been pushing for a plaque to remember this.

Newham Councillor, James Beckles, also competed as did Hackney Mayor, Philip Glanville.
Update: and Cllr Mas Patel

Councillor Yvonne Maxwell: Hoxton West

Fantastic news. Yvonne (aka Stroppy) has been elected! My former blogging pal and daughter of former Newham Councillor Doris Maxwell, was elected last night in a Hackney Council by-election.

Hoxton West (Hackney) result: LAB: 68.3% (+11.6) CON: 13.3% (+1.2) LDEM: 9.6% (+3.2) GRN: 8.8% (-11.3)

Labour 951, Con 185, LD 133, Green 123.

This is really good news for Labour. Both times I went to help out with canvassing were spent in working class social housing estates. Increasing our vote here after a time when the Labour Party has been in a bit of a mess is encouraging. But one swallow does not a summer make.

Having a hard working good candidate (who is also firmly on the "left" of the Party and a long standing supporter of Jeremy Corbyn) who local activists across the Party united to support, obviously made a difference.

I have of course been telling everyone I know that I have been her political mentor and taught her everything she knows about politics:)

Picture with newly elected (after an open selection process) Hackney Mayor, Philip Glanville, Yvonne and Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn (who has gone through 2 open selection processes in less than a year. Just saying).

Yvonne Maxwell for Hoxton West

Dear Colleague, There is a local government by-election in Hackney on 3 November, with a strong Newham connection - Labour's Candidate is Yvonne Maxwell is the daughter of former Newham Councillor Doris Maxwell. The seat used to be held by the newly elected Mayor of Hackney, Philip Grenvil. I hope you'll be able to spare a few hours to help out our neighbours.   Meeting Point (for all sessions) The junction of Murray Grove and New North Road, London N1  which is just a 5 minute walk from Old Street Station. Agent Cllr Sem Moema Week  One Wednesday 19     6-7.30pm Sunday 23             2-4pm Week  Two Monday 24           6-7.30pm Tuesday 25          6-7.30pm Wednesday 26    6-7.30pm Saturday 29       11am-1pm Week Three (Polling week) Monday 31          6-7.30pm Tuesday 1           6-7.30pm Wednesday 2     6-7.30pm Polling Day Thursday 3  from  8am to10pm Committee Room 215A Kingsland Road Don't worry if you haven't knocked on doors before, there will be plenty of old hands there to give you a steer. (picture of me with Yvonne and local activists including Philip the new Mayor of Hackney)

Hackney Mayor Election 2016

Tonight I helped out in Lea Bridge ward, Hackney for the election campaign to select a new Executive Mayor for the Borough. The Labour Candiate is Philip Glanville.

At the campaign headquarters, ward activists were really hospitable and appreciative to us for turning up and very pleased to get help from outside Hackney.  It was a shame that more activists from Newham did not turn up to support our sister Borough. I must try and find out why?

Personally, while I do not think that the Executive Mayor model is best for Unitary Council authorities (and have my doubts about regional mayors) I still want a Labour Party candidate to win (and then reform the system).

See picture of Cllr Rokhsana Fiaz and myself (bottom left) at the Ward campaign headquarters before we were sent out to deliver "Time is running out" reminder cards to local residents.

By complete and utter coincidence the first door that Rokhsana knocked on was answered by someone we both know from Newham as an expert advisor on LOBOs!

I will update the post when I find out the result of the election.