My Municipal Week- Full Council, Rough Sleeping Count & Spring Litter pick

 

A fairly busy week. On Monday I attended the Full Council meeting at Stratford Town Hall. I asked a question on the role of social economic class in reducing inequality in Newham and also moved an amendment on an opposition motion regarding Private Rental Sector licensing. 

The amendment was to make it clear that Newham was one of the very first Councils to introduce such licensing, in face of huge opposition from some Landlords and the Tory led coalition Government of the time. While we are in favour of all landlords in Newham being subject to licensing, we have to fully comply with the law. The amendment was accepted in full by the movers of the original motion and then Council. 

On Thursday I took part with Councillor colleagues, officers and volunteers in the bi-monthly Rough Sleeper Count. We left Newham Dockside before midnight in teams of 2-3 and were given patches to cover and count the number of people found sleeping rough on the streets. In my team we found one person sleeping on the streets. I do not yet know how many were found overall and what the trend is compared to previous counts. 

This was the first Count that had taken place since the former "Street Population Manager" Ajitha Sajeev retired. On Friday evening I attended her leaving "do" at Stratford Town Hall (See picture bottom left).

Finally, today I joined the West Ham community Group "LoveE15" with my Councillor colleagues to carry out the Spring letter pick in our ward. It is amazing how much litter there is even in streets which at first glance look clean. I got into conversation with a resident and admired his front garden and he offered by a Yucca plant cutting which he was planning to throw away. Which I gladly accepted and have now put in water as he recommended. I must ask whether I have to declare this as a gift? 

Hat tip pics James Beckles and John Morris. 

Building the Baseline: Breaking the Class Barrier

 

I am part of the taskforce (which is now winding down) from the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF). If we continue to prevent talented working class employees from senior positions in our financial services industry then this will have an impact on the long term performance of our funds (never mind everything else!)

"First of its kind report highlights stark lack of socio-economic diversity across senior leadership in UK financial and professional services sector. 64% of senior leaders in UK financial and professional services are from higher socio-economic backgrounds. How does this compare to your workforce? Are you collecting the data? 

Here's why it matters. UK financial and professional services are out of kilter with the rest of the economy and are unrepresentative of the communities they serve. These inequalities not only threaten the productivity and competitiveness of the sector, but they reinforce existing inequalities and opportunities for the UK to thrive. This is a threat to businesses as it means that vital talent is being missed in the sector, especially at senior leadership level. 

I am proud to be a part of the Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce and help contribute to this report and champion socio-economic diversity in the industry. I encourage other businesses to collect employee data on socio-economic background, setting stretching targets and monitoring progress towards ensuring a level playing field for all.   

To read the full report please follow the link. #WhoGetsAhead "