West Ham Labour Street Surgery

 

After my static advice surgery on Saturday morning I joined local volunteers and Councillors to carry out a door by door street surgery in West Ham.

We knocked on the doors of residents and ask them if they have any problems or issues with Newham Council that they wish to discuss with their local Councillors. Usually, residents are pleased to see us (although a tiny number disguise it very well) and have nothing to report but are grateful for receiving our contact details and that we hold a local advice surgery every Saturday (apart from Bank holiday weekends and August). 

We started off with a modern housing association block managed by L&Q. I was concerned that there appeared to be some out of date notices regarding fire safety/disrepair actions posted on a communal board, which I will chase up with them. 

Next we knocked at a Council managed block which had recently had substantial environmental improvements but residents were very concerned with cleaning standards and access to recycling bins. There was also reports of ongoing damp and mould problems, which I will also follow up. Overcrowding is a huge issue with adult children forced to stay at home since they cannot afford alternative accommodation. 

I was pleased to see that the old Britannia Pub has also been refurbished and modernised. It will hopefully reopen soon. 

The final door knock was Victorian street properties and discussed reports of ASB, rodents and tree pruning. 

In total we had 87 contacts and finished off with a late brunch in a nearby cafe. 

On the way home I looked for a plaque on a wall in an adjacent street, which I believe is connected to a 1733 boundary post I came across the previous week while canvassing in Stratford see John's Labour blog: Labour Street Surgery in Stratford. I found the plaque which I had posted upon here in 2013 John's Labour blog: West Ham doorstep & Leaflet drop. 

It seems that land in Stratford and West Ham had been donated to support St Mary's Church in Rotherhithe. I wonder what the legal situation is nowadays? I am meeting former Councillor John Saunders on Tuesday evening and will ask him if he knows more. 

Street Surgery in West Ham followed by coffee & Ukrainian cinnamon bun

 

This morning we went on a Street surgery in my ward with fellow councillors and local members. It was a lovely day, although a little cold but blue skies and sunshine. It really felt like spring is just around the corner. 

The surgery itself went well, residents were on the whole very pleased to see us.  We had a number of interesting conversations with passionate and informed residents about local services, council policies and wider politics. 

Including one resident who proudly said he had never voted in his life (in his 60s I guess) since "all politicians are the same and they are all corrupt". I begged to differ that we are not all the same and explained why. He was polite and listened but I am not sure it will change his mind, but it might. 

I picked up case work about replacement block keys, a damp problem in a kitchen and a landlord who appears to be not keeping to his licence conditions. There was also a young tree which was blocking the footway and was either blow down by storm Eunice or perhaps hit by a car. 

I rang one modern looking door bell and was asked by it to leave a voice message - which is a first. 

We came across a fascinating local history boundary plaque on a wall (middle left of collage) which I have meant to research further for many years. It seems to date from 1884 and despite being worn my understanding is that this area was once "owned" by St Mary's Church in Rotherhithe.  There is another movement nearby in Stratford. I will post in Newham History Facebook site to find out more. 

Afterwards some of us were able to go to the Sawmill cafe in Stratford for coffee and a delicious shared cinnamon bun. The family run cafe is run by young Ukrainians and we went to show out solidarity and support (the Ukrainian flag was proudly placed on their window). 

The staff were obviously very distressed and said they could not understand how these things could happen like this in Europe in 2022. Nor could I. 

West Ham doorstep & Leaflet drop

Pictures in collage are from yesterday morning ward leaflet drop and street surgery 2 weeks earlier.

I was asked to go into one house to see rubbish dumped in a rear garden by a local landlord agency which I later reported. Apart from this eyesore the family liked living in the area but were private tenants with no security of tenure.

Each year their Landlord's agent comes back wanting more rent or they face eviction. This is just plain stupid and the only people who really benefit from this churn are the agents.

Good tenants want security of tenure and good landlords want good tenants. Landlords don't want the time and expense of evicting tenants who pay their rent on time and respect their property. Why can't we have sensible regulation of rents and tenancies like they do in most of Europe and even in parts of the USA?

Yesterday I came across this plaque on a wall in Redriffe Road, E15 dating from1884 which I had never noticed before.  This land use to belong to St Mary's Church in Rotherhithe, South London (or Surrey as that part of London use to be part) and had been purchased in trust for the poor of the parish in 1659. The excellent local history website Newham Story says that the land was leased in 1878 for 80 years to build homes (and maybe a pub). I wonder who is the freeholder now?