West Ham Xmas Door knock & Street Surgery

This morning after my indoor Councillor surgery, we went on a door knock in West Ward with Councillors and activists including our new MP for West Ham & Beckton, James Asser. 

The door knock went very well and residents were visibly pleased to see their Councillors and new MP and to have a chat (and in one case a selfie) about local issues and personal casework. 

There was a lot of concern about a new healthy schools streets scheme but it was wholly constructive. Residents understood the need of such schemes to protect children but were concerned by the small numbers of inconsiderate parents, who park in and/or block resident bays, while dropping off or collecting their children. We will be approaching Council officers to extend the pilot area to stop this. 

Afterwards, we went to the Sawmill café for Xmas coffee and cake (no mince pies available)

West Ham welcomes Sadiq Khan as London Labour Mayoral Candidate

 

Today we met up with Cllr James Beckles in West Ham Ward (Newham, London) who is standing as a "Labour List" candidate in next months London Assembly Elections. He was with the East London & City candidate, Unmesh Desai and we had a special guest turn up - our London Labour Mayoral candidate, Sadiq Khan. 

As well as East Ham MP, Stephen Timms, Newham Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, councillors and many local Party activists from across the borough (including the one and only John Saunders). Footballers in the Park also stopped to join us and listen. 

After short speeches from James, Unmesh and Sadiq, we split up into canvass teams. Two teams went to canvass West Ham while the others left for Forest Gate South. 

I led one team of 4 canvassers and was pleased that we had 46 contacts, the overwhelming majority being solid Labour. I was also really pleased when a local resident came up to us and explained she was a new Labour Party member and wanted to volunteer to deliver leaflets. She explained that she had been a Labour supporter for many years but had only just joined the Party in order to help get rid of this "rotten Tory Government". 

After coffee in the Sawmill, I stopped off to deliver leaflets to volunteers and took some photos of trip hazards that had been brought to my attention as case work. A good day. 

West Ham Labour canvass & remembering V2 Nazi Rocket attack (Solidarity with Ukraine)

 

Yesterday I helped organise a Labour campaign session in the ward that I represent as a Councillor in Newham, West Ham with my colleague Cllr John Whitworth. It was great that we had a number of Party  members joining us including Plastow Councillor, John Morris, (so there was 3 John's on the team) local party members and also Jordan, a UNISON Labour Link activist from Camden.

During the canvass we stopped off to honour (see picture) the roundabout in what is now called Marriott Road, which I believe is the impact site of a German Nazi V2 Rocket attack on 1 Feb 1945. 

See an account of the carnage at this site below:-

"In the early hours of 1st February 1945 at 3:03 am, Hitler’s last weapon of terror, a V-2 Rocket, left a trail of death and destruction on the sleeping street. An unmanned, guided, ballistic missile that had a maximum speed of 3440 mph, flying at an altitude of 52-60 miles, and carrying a warhead of 2150lbs of high explosives dropped without warning onto the sleeping Barnby Street, at up to four times the speed of sound. The ultra-high-speed descent meant that no sound was heard by those about to be hit. The effects of the resulting explosion were catastrophic, the explosion and subsequent sonic boom were heard all over London.

On that cold winters night, in just a few short seconds 29 people lost their lives and 15 others were seriously injured. Houses were totally destroyed and the surrounding streets were severely bomb blasted". 

A local resident told us that when she moved into her home right next to the roundabout she was told by the housing officer that this was the site of a mass grave of the dead. I told her that I didn't think that this was strictly accurate. 

Marriott Road is also named after a local firefighter who was killed during the blitz. We must do something to remember him and the dead 29 civilians by the next anniversary on 1 Feb 2023. 

After the canvass we went for coffee (and brunch for some) in the Sawmill cafe in West Ham Lane, which is run by a local Ukrainian family. While enjoying my brunch, I will admit that I felt what happened to Eastenders in 1945 must be similar to the experience of so many Ukrainians in 2022. 

Both victims of vile Nazi aggression. That picture of devastation and death in the collage is the same as so many modern day pictures in Ukraine. 

Solidarity to Ukraine in their fight against Putin fascism!