LAPFF Conference: Cyber Security & Social Media Abuse

Former Newham Councillor Seyi Akiwowo (and Pension Committee member) outlines why she founded Glitch after online abuse and a poor response from the tech companies. 

"Fix the Glitch Report"

A new update by Glitch UK on how Social Media can protect freedom of speech and tackle the appalling abuse on their platforms.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that social media companies need to take greater responsibility for the activities that occur on their platform. YouTube and Twitter are no longer small startup tech companies, they are multi-million pound businesses. Running a company in our society means taking corporate social responsibility and taking it seriously. We welcome YouTube and Twitter to each invite us for a private meeting to discuss how to tackle these issues.

Although our five recommendations are aimed specifically at social media companies, policy and decision makers need to close legal loopholes regarding abusive online behaviour. There is also a huge need for digital citizenship provision.

Glitch!UK believes that by working together we can begin to create safer platforms for all users and fix the glitch.

Happy International Women's Day Eve! (meeting West Ham Women's Forum on Tuesday 13 March 7.30pm)

Please join us next Tuesday 13th March as we celebrate International Women's Day with Sarah Green, the Director of End Violence Against women Coalition. Kick off will be 7:30pm, at West Ham Labour HQ, 306 High Street, Stratford E15. The closest tube station is Stratford Station and Stratford High Street. Please let me know if you have any accessibility requirements. 

Please feel free to arrive before for some networking and drinks. 

 Encourage her to stand!!!

Yesterday you all should have received an email from London Labour Party announcing that they are re-opening the selection process to women in Newham. We desperately need more women on Newham Council. If you're eligible ( to apply you need to be a woman, a paid-up member since at least 1 January 2016 and resident in Newham since at least 1 January 2017.)  Please do consider standing and encourage your local Labour sister to apply. If you have any questions about the process please do drop me a message.

We also have our Annual General Meeting (AGM) coming up after the local elections in May (some branches will be holding their AGMs after the elections too) At an AGM you'll be electing branch/forum officers as well as nominating officers for West Ham Constituency Party. All positions are up for elections. If you haven't been notified of your AGM yet please let me know and I can put you in touch with the secretary.

As Women's Officer it is part of my responsibility to encourage gender equality in the CLP as well as encourage sisters to be more active in the party whether that's coming out campaigning, attending branch and CLP meetings or standing for positions. Here is some more information

Branch/Forum  Officer Positions

There are 4 positions and at least 4 of the officers shall be women. There is no reason why job share can't be introduced if you have caring responsibilities.

Branch Chair 

Branch Vice-Chair- in West Ham Ward we had to lovely members job share this position 

Branch Secretary

Branch Treasurer

Branch Organiser - for organising campaigning and leafletting sessions. This is going to be a key position in helping us get Sadiq Khan elected as London Mayor

General Committee Delegate (GC) Positions:

The GC plans and coordinates our local Labour activity and meets on the 4th Thursday of the month. All party members are welcome to attend, but only delegates are able to vote on issues put to the GC.

The Secretary is automatically a delegate, plus one man and one woman per 25 members or part thereof. 

Executive Committee Delegate (EC) Positions:

One position amongst GC delegates

Nominations for West Ham West Ham CLP position

CLP Chair

CLP Vice Chair of Campaigns

CLP Vice Chair of Membership

CLP Secretary 

CLP Treasurer

CLP Women's Officer  

Community Involvement Coordinator 

Trade Union Liaison Coordinator 

Political Education & Training Coordinator 

Equalities Coordinator 

Fund Raising Coordinator 

Information Technology Coordinator 

Local Campaign Forum delegates (10 positions) 

Forum/Affiliated Groups to the CLP

All Forums and Affiliated groups will follow a similar election as above. Holding an election for:

Forum Officer positions

Two GC delegates and one EC delegate

Nominating members to West Ham CLP positions

West Ham Women's Forum - AGM to be held after the local election

West Ham Youth Forum- TBC Please contact Karl Lewis, Youth Coordinator: karldavidlewis@aol.co.uk 

Trade Unions- Please contact either you local trade union officer or  Kim Silvers the Trade Union Liaison for more information: kim.silver@newham.gov.uk 

Socialist Affiliated Groups 

Fabians- TBC Please contact Rohit Das Gupta: rhit_svu@hotmail.com

Christians on the Left- Clive Furness: clivefurness@hotmail.com

Have a lovely week and I look forward to seeing you on next Tuesday!

In sisterhood + solidarity,

Warmest wishes,

Seyi 

Latest Newham’s response to Grenfell Towers

This is the latest media release from Newham Council (see below).

 I am still waiting for copies of the fire risk assessments for high rise blocks in my ward (West Ham) from the Council.

 I have also asked who is checking the fire risk assessments for high rise blocks controlled by Housing Associations and privately owned/leasehold blocks in Newham.

 We also need to think about cladding on schools, commercial office blocks and also low rise accommodation.

 By coincidence, last month during the General Election campaign, I was part of a West Ham Labour Party Canvass team, who knocked on every door in Ferrier Point. It appeared to me at the time to be in good condition internally with nothing really obviously wrong. I did not of course have any detailed risk assessments or other technical information on the block.

 As someone who has direct experience of managing high rise blocks and is a member of IOSH (Institute of Safety & Health) , trained in checking risk assessments, I have also had conversations with the lead Council Executive advisor for Newham Housing, Cllr Terry Paul and other officers.

I understand that the London Fire Brigade are satisfied so far with the control measures put in place by the Council in the 3 blocks identified so far with cladding that has failed safety tests. I am satisfied with what I know so far, but once the immediate crisis is over, we need to find out what went wrong and who is accountable.

 Yesterday evening I was at a meeting of West Ham One Housing Group TRA, where we had a really constructive debate on Grenfell and its aftermath. Tenants are really worried about the safety of their homes.

 The one and only positive thing about this is the way that ordinary working class people across the country and beyond have rallied around the victims and their families.

 Check out this post here on Forest Gate North by local Councillor, Seyi Akiwowo, on Grenfell issues in her ward.

 (Newham media release 27/6/17)

"Following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in West London, Newham Council is in the process of inspecting all tall buildings, prioritising those with cladding. There is no immediate risk to the safety of any of them that would lead to residents having to leave their homes.

 Last week, we sent a sample of the exterior cladding from Ferrier Point, Nicholls Point and Tanner Point for expert testing. Although the cladding failed the test over the weekend, the council has confirmed that the insulation material used in the cladding on your block was of higher quality to that used at Grenfell Tower as it is made of Rockwool which offers more fire protection.

 Because overall the samples of cladding failed the test, we have employed an external contractor who has been visiting all three blocks today to assess the removal of the cladding and how quickly this can be done.

This weekend, London Fire Brigade (LFB) along with Newham Council has carried out a full fire safety inspection of the three buildings and a sample of individual flats within the blocks. We have agreed a number of immediate actions which include:

· Extra security is in place in these three blocks 24 hours until further notice. This extra security will patrol the blocks every 20 minutes so they will be able to raise the alarm in the event of a fire
 · Clutter, including some personal possessions such as bicycles have been removed to safe storage.

All residents living in these blocks have been written to and visited wherever possible to outline the actions the council and LFB have taken. We have reassured the residents that these additional actions, along with safety measures that are already in place, including smoke alarms in every flat and high quality fire doors, means there is no immediate risk to safety and no need for people to leave their homes, unless otherwise notified.

 There are some additional matters we are addressing around the blocks, including vandalism, rough sleeping and issues such as smoking in stairwells and corridors. We have also reminded residents of the London Fire Brigade’s current safety advice following the Grenfell Tower fire.

Essential works will begin immediately to enhance fire safety with further upgrades taking place over the next few weeks, including dealing with the cladding.

We have thanked them for their patience and apologised for any inconvenience that future work may cause. We will keep them informed of all further developments.”

West Ham Ward welcome to our new Labour Party members

Picture from last Thursday with West Ham ward officers busy filling out names and addresses on welcome letters to new members. We then went out and hand delivered the letters speaking to the new members whenever possible. 

The new members I spoke to were really pleased that we had called. Let us see how many become active.
                 

"West Ham Branch Labour Party

Dear Member

I hope that you are enjoying the summer. I am writing to welcome you very warmly to West Ham Branch Labour party.

This has been a strange time for Labour supporters in Newham: both proud of our Labour MPs who increased their majorities, but also desperately sad and worrying for everyone who cares about protecting the vulnerable, about education, about the NHS, about people in low-paid work, about people who need benefits... and sadly the list goes on.

Here in West Ham we are determined not to take the General Election result lying down. Now more than ever we need to show people that we are a vibrant, passionate and compassionate alternative to the Tories. Our residents, especially those who are suffering under the Tories' policies, need to see us speaking out on their behalf. So we will be getting out and about again, building up our presence and aiming to build our membership.

I am therefore asking you if you could do one or more of the following?

• ·         come to a meeting
• ·         invite your friends
• ·         canvass with us

Come to a meeting

We normally hold monthly ward meetings on the first Thursday of every month. This can be anything from a political discussion, a joint discussion with a neighbouring ward and a speaker, nominating candidates for various offices in the Local Constituency Party, to a social. Information about each meeting is sent out in advance. If you have a topic you would like to discuss, please do email or phone our Branch secretary John Whitworth with your suggestion.

Invite your friends

According to some research most people join a political party because someone asked them to. Think about your friends and family, especially the ones who shared our dismay at the election result. Have they joined the Labour party? Have you asked them to join? Might they be interested in becoming a supporter for only £3 so they can help choose the next Labour leader? All supporters, friends, well-wishers and hangers-on are warmly welcomed.

Campaigning

If you've never been canvassing before, don't be nervous! It's good exercise and great fun, and residents generally are pleased to find someone has made the effort to knock on their door. But if you're interested and want to come along, please email or call our Branch secretary John Whitworth and we can make sure we keep you in the loop.

We really hope to see you soon. Please don't hesitate to drop us a line if you want to get involved, if you have any ideas, or any questions.

Warmest wishes,

Seyi

Cllr Seyi Akiwowo

Chair of West Ham Branch Labour Party

@WestHamWard

www.facebook.com/WestHamWard

Changing London...Discussion event Thursday July 2nd 8pm Forest Gate

Newham's youngest Councillor, Seyi Akiwowo, asked, me to give this event "a shout".

"Dear Friends

Forest Gate North Labour is hosting a 'Changing London' event on Thursday 2nd July from 8-9.30pm
at Coffee7, Sebert Road (opposite Forest Gate Station)

Are you concerned about ever-increasing inequality in London?

Do you want to play your part in influencing the candidates for London Mayor?

Then please join us and the authors of 'Changing London' (described as 'a rough guide for the next Mayor of London' with 'radical but practical ideas') in an interactive discussion to share ideas and suggestions, practical or symbolic, on how to tackle inequality.

We’ll put the best ideas in a letter for candidates to sign up to.

This is your chance to put inequality on the Mayoral election agenda and raise issues you think are important for a better London.

Labour party members, friends, supporters and hangers-on are all warmly welcome, so please bring them along / share the attached flyer".

Please RSVP to forestgatenorth@gmail.com

www.change-london.org.uk"

Changing London: a rough guide for the next London mayor can be ordered direct from the publishers: paperback £9.99 inc free P&P; ebook £4.50.http://londonpublishingpartnership.co.uk/changing-london-a-rough-guide-for-the-next-london-mayor/

West Ham at Wes' Birthday Canvass

Today is the birthday of Labour candidate for Ilford North Parliamentary seat, Wes Streeting.

So instead of giving him a well deserved day off, his campaign team designated it as "Wes Birthday Canvass Day" and arranged 3 separate #labourdoorstep sessions.

West Ham went to the 2pm session and took part in a number of campaign teams, while our MP, Lyn Brown, ran a telephone canvass session in the CLP HQ (Lyn is out of door knocking action at moment due to a serious knee injury).

My team was led by Newham's youngest Councillor, Seyi Akiwowo, who enjoyed bossing us about and sending us hither and thither. After we finished I had an unusual telephone conversation with a West Ham CLPer, who asked me if I remembered where they had parked their car? (they eventually found it).

Double click to enlarge picture and check out the top right of collage for photo of show stealer, Cara.

Forest Gate North Councillors

www.forestgatenorth.com

"This is the blog of the three Labour councillors for Forest Gate North ward, in the London Borough of Newham. We are Seyi Akiwowo, Ellie Robinson and Rachel Tripp. We have created this blog as a way of keeping residents informed about our work for the ward and for Newham. Here we hope to blog about meetings, all kinds of issues from very local to national, queries and concerns, and anything else we are involved in that we think you might want to know more about. We hope that you find it useful; please get in touch and let us know".

 

What a great local blog. Will suggest tomorrow at ward meeting that we have a West Ham one!

West Ham Labour Party AGM 2014 - The return of Agent Gray

On Thursday evening there was the AGM of West Ham Constituency Labour Party (CLP) which took place at our headquarters in the High Street, Stratford, E15.

The meeting began a with a 2 minutes silence to mark the recent unexpected death of respected East Ham Councillor, Alec Kellaway.  I known Alec for many years and and had worked closely with him on the Council Investment and Accounts Committee.  He had always been very considerate and supportive. His death is a personal shock and a great loss to the Party. Council meetings will not be the same without his home baked cakes.

The AGM went very smoothly and congratulations to the re-elected Chair, Charlene McLean and the other elected constituency officers;  Alan Griffiths, John Saunders, Gordon Miller, Julianne Marriott and Seyi Akiwowo. 

Elected CLP Coordinators are Dianne Walls, Kim Silver, Veronica Oakeshott, Rania Ramli, Winston Vaughan, Conor McAuley, Terry Paul and David Christie.

Due to a very previous wicked life, I was elected as Campaign Coordinator and Agent with Mas Patel as Assistant.

Obviously the next year will be dominated by the forthcoming General Election and the need to re-elect our excellent local MP, Lyn Brown. While it is vital to keep up with the energetic local campaigning and canvassing that we have carried out since 2010, we all know that unless Labour wins its national target seats next year, Newham will be stuffed by a return of Tory rule.

Therefore we have a duty to make sure that in West Ham we do our bit in the target seats that we have been asked by the Party to support. As our Secretary, Alan Griffith, reminded us on the night, we have only "45 weeks until the 7th May 2014 General Election". Let us by hard work and unity turn this statement into we have only "45 weeks to get rid of this rotten Tory led Government".

(Picture of our West Ham HQ during the General Election 2010 when I was also the Agent)

Meet Newham's youngest councillor

Seyi lives in West Ham ward and is the chair of the branch and the West Ham CLP Women's Officer.  She is going to be a fantastic new Councillor.  

Hat tip Newham Recorder "Seyi Akiwowo is not only among the new crop of Newham Labour councillors but is also the party’s youngest representative.

The 22-year-old, who won a seat in Forest Gate North, says representing the ward is particularly personal to her as it is where she grew up.

“It was lovely to be canvassing in Maryland where I went to school,” Seyi, who now lives in West Ham, said. “It’s been a great experience and having grown up in Newham in the area that I am representing I definitely think will help me.”

Seyi, who was previously part of the borough’s youth council, says that she hopes to bring a “new fresh perspective” drawing on her experiences of living in the borough - and can’t wait to get stuck in.
“I am excited and nervous and so thankful that over 2,000 of the 9,000 people who voted chose me,” she said. “The hard work starts now and I am accountable to each and every one of them.

“It is quite scary but I am looking forward to it.”

International Women's Day 8 March 2014 - West Ham Labour Women's Forum

Attention ALL women living in Newham!!!

To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8^th March, West Ham Labour Women’s Forum

(Supported by East Ham Sisters)

invite you to a gathering of ladies at the Women’s Wonderland.

At the Women’s Wonderland there will be:

v  Facials and massages

v  Cooking Masterclasses

v  Health and Wellbeing

v  Community opportunities available on your doorstep

v  Delicious cakes

v  Face-painting and colouring corner for children

v  Qualified health professionals providing health tutorials

v  AND LOTS MORE!!!

Come along and have a coffee with women from your community and have a fun and entertaining afternoon celebratingInternational Women’s Day with your local MP Lyn Brown!!

It’s free admission so bring your girl friends, mum, sisters, aunties, daughters and nieces!
We look forward to meeting you on 8^th March from 1pm at Vicarage Lane Community Centre.

Warmest wishes,

Seyi Akiwowo West Ham Women’s Officer
 &
the West Ham Labour Women’s Forum.
whlabourwomen@gmail.com                                             #WHIWD14                                              @westhamlabour

https://www.facebook.com/events/263616670464880/265522303607650/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity

Many thanks,

Seyi