"On the knocker" in Hainault By Election

 

Today I went to help out in the Labour campaign to elect Helen Mullis as a Labour Councillor in a Council by election in Hainault, Redbridge, London. 

It was a lovely warm and sunny day. On route I saw local MP Jas Athwal. 

At first I was on a team with local activists (including a NHS UNISON member) and Portsmouth MP, Amanda Martin, which went knocking on doors of voters near Hainault Country Park to remind them to vote. 

I rang one video internet door bell and had a conversation with a voter who was away in Cyprus, who obviously could not vote that day. 

When I knocked on another door, I thought the resident who answered seemed familiar but I could not place her. She remarked on my UNISON tee-shirt and it turned out she is the sister of former UNISON National Health and Safety Officer, Hope Daily, who I did a year long TUC/IOSH safety diploma  course with many years ago. 

After a delicious home cooked chicken curry snack at the campaign headquarters, I went out in a second group with my colleague Newham Sue (Masters), local Councillors, Helen & Prabjit and activist Alex. I was asked to lead the Group using the Labour Doorstep phone app. Beforehand Wes Streeting MP came out with a canvass team as well. 

This canvass was very positive. Newham Sue treated us to ice creams towards the end of the canvass which went down very well. We had 35 contacts in total which wasn't that bad. 

Fingers crossed for Labour candidate, Helen Mullis, everyone I met who had actually spoken to her, were very complimentary. 

UPDATE: Helen won - by one vote! John's Labour blog: Every vote counts (wining by 1)

Newham Bi-monthly Rough Sleeper Count 29.3.19

Picture collage is from early this morning (midnight to about 3am) when I took part in my second Rough sleeper count. Newham has received money from the UK Ministry of Housing to tackle rough sleeping and as a condition of this money, it has to carry out bi monthly counts to see what impact the money has had..

My first count on 1 February took place in a mini blizzard. This morning was warmer but still no place for anyone to be sleeping outdoors.

Some 29 volunteers and homeless charity outreach workers met in Newham Dockside building at 10.45pm including a number of Councillors and my cabinet colleague for Adult health, Susan Masters.

We were given a briefing on what to do and the reasons why, then we were split into teams of 3. I was sent out with a Newham Council officer volunteer driver and the team leader, was an experienced outreach worker from the homeless charity SHP.

Our team of 3 had 12 locations to check, that in the past had experienced people rough sleeping. By coincidence this included the West Ham ward that I serve as a Councillor, also Stratford and parts of Forest Gate. We met during the night 3 people who were sleeping outdoors but only 1 counted for the purposes of the survey, because the other 2 had no bedding with them and said they will be staying the night elsewhere.

We went to a number of locations where there was no one actually sleeping there at the time but there was clear evidence that someone had been recently. Including a purpose built encampment hidden away in (I believe) the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

I have already contacted Newham Housing services about unacceptable estate management issues I came across and also I will contact a large local Housing Association about similar problems.

We finished about 3am and my fit watch said I had walked over 5000 steps during the count. 

Ed at London Regional Reception #lab14

This is a late post but my excuse is that it was really busy during and since I returned from Labour Party Conference in Manchester. Hopefully I can catch up on post on events soon.

Picture of our Labour Leader, Ed Miliband, addressing the London regional reception at Conference a week ago.

This was a ticket only packed event. Shadow London Minister Sidiq Khan MP was the host.

I had a serious conversation with Gary Kent, the Director of the all-party parliamentary group on the Kurdistan Region in Iraq on the threat from the ISIL fascists. A brave man.

There was good news from a major British property company that they will be announcing soon that they will make sure that all their directly employed and contracting staff are paid a living wage!

Ed himself was very relaxed and confident when he came to speak (the first of many times during Conference that I was to hear him in similar events). He started off with the traditional joke that the London Labour reception was his real, real favourite over all the other receptions but we should not tell anyone else this!

He also told this joke (which I was also to hear again) that as he came out of the Eastern region reception today, he was stopped by a female delegate who said "What a marvellous speech today". He replied by saying "Well, thank you very much". She said "not you but your wife Justine's speech during the women's conference today. She was marvellous".

Hat tip picture top Newhamite Sue M for photo.

West Ham TULO: Living wage update; Royal Mail, Bangladesh Accord, Equalities & Save NHS

On Tuesday we had had our 2nd meeting of West Ham Labour Party TULO. Chaired by our TULO officer, Kim Silver. Kim is also an UNISON London NEC member and Convenor in Newham Local Government branch.

Royal Mail CWU activist (and Labour Party Councillor candidate 2014) Idris Ibrahim gave us an update on the dispute in Royal Mail following privatisation. The strike has been postponed pending talks (which are still ongoing this weekend).

Idris thanked us for our offer of support if there is a dispute (Solidarity actions on strike days, stalls, petitions and leafleting). 

Kim gave an update on our campaign for Fair Pay for all in Newham. Our motion from West Ham CLP has been sent to Newham Local Campaign Committee for support. If it is passed at the LCF then it will be sent for consideration to Newham Council Labour Group.

I raised the issue of the TUC backed campaign in support of UK retailers who source clothing from Bangladesh to sign the international Accord on Fire and Building Safety. This Accord is trying to stop the slaughter of textile workers that we have seen in the Tazreen factory fire and the Rana Plaza collapse. There will be independent funded professional safety inspections, training of Union safety reps with the right to stop work if there is an imminent danger without loss of pay.

Only a few British based Companies are refusing to sign the Accord. The TUC are organising a protest on Saturday 23rd November and are calling on supporters to download and deliver a letter of protest to all Edinburgh Woollen Mills stores (EWM - Parent company of Peacocks, the high street retail chain).

We agreed to  send a West Ham TULO delegation to deliver the letter of protest to the Newham Green Street and Stratford Mall Peacocks stores on Saturday.This will coincide with local Labour Canvassing campaigns.

Next BECTU member (and Labour Party candidate 2014) Sue Masters briefed us on the Save Our NHS campaign in Newham. There is a heavy Labour Party presence on this campaign which is led by patient representatives and independent clinicians. It is a non party political organisation and all West Ham TULO activists are encouraged to support.

Winston Vaughan (local Cllr and retired CWU activist) is also the West Ham CLP Equalities officer and he raised with us how Union activists feel he could promote the issue of equalities in the CLP.

Reminder that at next West Ham General Committee  Phil Wilson MP will be the Guest speaker and that we will be discussing the trade union link with the Labour Party. All CLP members can attend the GC as visitors. There is also a motion from West Ham Ward on retaining the link. The special Labour Party Spring conference on the link will take place at Newham Excel on Saturday 1 March 2014.

Under AOB we agreed to add the important issue of the public ownership of the railways to our  objectives.

Next meeting will be 7.30pm on Tuesday 21 January 2014 at West Ham Labour HQ, 306 High Street, E15.

UPDATE: success - EWM have signed the Bangladesh Accord!!! the action on 23rd has been called off (for now)