Newham Labour Group Questionnaire on Council Governance Model (deadline 2.10.20)

 

Dear John (4000 Labour members in Newham would have received this email on 26 September)  Newham Labour Group’s Working Party are conducting a survey on the Democracy and Civic Participation Commission’s Report and the future of democracy in Newham. Please do look at the information in the leaflet provided here.  This is a survey being conducted by the Newham Council Labour Group’s Working Group, who are considering what alternative governance model should appear on the ballot during the planned referendum that is a Newham Labour manifesto pledge. The decision on the alternative governance model will be taken at a meeting of Newham Labour Group that will be held by 15th October 2020 and we would like your views to feed into the process.  The manifesto pledge made in 2018, was to hold a referendum on the future of the current Directly Elected Mayoral model with a clear alternative so that Newham voters can decide which governance model is best for Newham Council. The date put forward by Newham Labour Group will be set following further conversation with the National Labour Party and subject to the Coronavirus Laws.   Your views will feed into the Working Group’s report to the Newham Council Labour Group. Thank you for taking the time to fill this survey out. The results from this survey will form part of the report to the Newham Council Labour Group. Your data or responses will not be used individually at any point. All responses and data collected from this survey will be handled and processed by Newham Labour Group Organiser, Hasib Baber, in the strictest of confidence and your name will not appear in any report. The survey will need to be completed by the 2nd October 2020 to allow for compilation and analysis. The use of Labour Membership number is to make sure only Labour members complete the survey, the responses will be anonymised and in no way be linked to you should you choose not give your name. Any surveys completed without providing a valid membership number will not be counted.  You can complete the survey at the following link. As mentioned, for issues of security, you will need your Labour Party membership number in order to fill in and submit the survey for a valid vote.  Your Labour Party membership number is printed on your membership card and on postal correspondence from the Labour Party. You can also access it by logging on to my.labour.org.uk/profile to view a digital copy of your membership card.  Kind regards,  Hasib Baber  Newham Labour Group Campaigns Organiser •Working Group Local Governance Information Leaflet (1).pdf

"Don't be bullied by British Gas"

 

Don't just get angry British Gas workers - get organised & fight

"I was so scared of catching coronavirus in hospital I nearly died"

"As a black woman, the risk seemed too high. But when I think about how worried the doctors were about me, I realised what a mistake I’d made...

Independant

I started feeling unwell at the end of August. Initially, it was just lethargy that I put down to lockdown and not leaving the house every day. Then things got worse. I started feeling faint and vomited for hours at a time. This went on for days. My first thought was: could I be pregnant? But Clear Blue tests told me multiple times that, no, I wasn’t. I started seeing blood in my urine, which scared me.

I contacted my GP who told me to do a urine sample. While I was waiting for my results, things deteriorated further. I started to feel thirsty all the time, the vomiting and blood in the toilet were getting worse. I lost my voice and could barely speak. A few days later, a locum from my GP practice called: they had lost my urine sample and I’d have to do another one, in the meantime, they’d prescribe me antibiotics for another week. My boyfriend (Chris) had by then started pleading with me to go to A&E. My answer was a straight no: "If I go to hospital, I'll get Corona. Do you want me to die"?

I grew up and am a Labour Councillor in the London Borough of Newham, which at one point had one of the worst rates of Coronavirus in the UK. It is also one of the most diverse parts of London, which is notable considering how many news stories we’ve seen about how the virus proves even more dangerous, and even more deadly, for people from black and other minority ethnic backgrounds. By the time I fell ill, I’d already seen people in my community get sick and pass away from the virus. As a black woman, there was no way I was willing to risk going to hospital where I might catch Covid-19 and never leave.

A few days later, Chris stopped giving me a choice in the matter. I couldn’t get out of bed and was vomiting bile. I felt like I was about to die. He packed me a bag, called an Uber and told me we were going to the hospital.

When we arrived, I was sent straight to A&E. Because of Covid restrictions, I had to go alone and Chris sat outside. The doctor ran some blood tests, which took what seemed like forever, as my veins are very hard to find, and came back to tell I had DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) which is a very serious condition and potentially life-threatening.

They admitted me to a high dependency ward (again, alone as Chris wasn’t allowed in) where they put several cannulas into me and began pumping my body with fluids. Chris went back home for an overnight bag for me. When he came back to the hospital, I begged the nurse to unplug me for five minutes so I could see him and get my things, which she reluctantly agreed to. I burst into tears as I hugged him, and then went back to my bay which I didn't leave for the next three days.

For the following five days I spent in the hospital, the nurses and doctors monitored me continuously and took a blood test every hour, including overnight. On the fourth day, they told me I had type 1 diabetes. The nurse showed me how to inject myself (which I need to do five times a day) and how to test my blood sugar levels. I also spoke to a dietician about the changes I'd need to make to my lifestyle and food choices, which isn't as bad as I first feared. We even went through my Instagram food pictures.

It's been just over two weeks since I first went into A&E and I'm still processing everything. While there's a long road ahead to deal with this, I'm just thankful to be home and able to plan for the future.

When I think about how worried the doctors were about me when I arrived on that ward, I realise what a mistake it was to refuse to go to hospital out of fear of the virus. I was so scared of Covid-19 killing me that something else nearly did. Other illnesses will always exist, and the NHS is there to treat us when we need it most – I hope others use it in time too.

Nareser Osei is Labour councillor for Stratford and New Town ward in Newham

Christina McAnea for UNISON General Secretary - By closing date over 200 Nominations

"Hugely grateful to get 226 nominations. This includes the NEC, 9 regions, 5 service groups and 211 branches. Onwards and upwards. Lets turn this into votes. A massive thank you to everyone who helped get this and to everyone who has supported me. #ourfutureinunison

Join us: http://votechristina.org

Newham Bi-monthly Street Count September 2020

Last night I went to the Newham Council Dockside Building E16 at 11pm to be firstly briefed then sent off in teams to carry out our bi-monthly count of people sleeping on our streets in Newham. This has been disrupted due to Covid and tonight was a much smaller "sampler" exercise than in the past but we had 11 people out in 5 teams covering 59 sites. There was also a team at Dockside co-ordinating our visits and collating information.

There was a mixture of Newham Council staff, Councillors and partner outreacher workers. 

After the briefing we left at around 11.45 to start the count at midnight. I was with two experienced outreach workers from the homelessness Charity "Thamesreach". We covered postcodes E6 and E12. This included East Ham (see Town Hall in collage) and Manor Park. 

Newham is very different in the early hours of the morning. We visited a number of different sites which in the past are known for people sleeping rough. Including sites that as the Cabinet lead for Housing Service I knew had long standing problems of anti-social behaviour (not just due to rough sleeping).

We found no one in nearly all our patch except two - first outside a public building (where both rough sleepers were well known to the outreach workers and had either accommodation provided or had refused it) and some in  disused buildings on a council estate. Both sites will have been visited today by our early morning outreach team for them to try and engage and find better housing solutions. Our team found 6 people in total this morning. 

We finished about 2am and then went back to Dockside to report and be signed out. 

I am not sure that the total numbers for all teams can now be disclosed but I have now been on a number of these counts and the numbers are far,far less than in the past and certainly since the March Covid lock down, when our staff and stakeholders did a truly magnificent task in rehousing practically all our street homeless in Newham. 

Compared to the 100 plus rough sleepers in September 2018 and the 68 in January 2020 we think we now have around 20, nearly all of whom (I will find out after tonight) have been offered help, support and alternative accommodation. Some of them so have serious health or other issues that mean they do not take up our offer of an overnight roof over their head.

We will not give up on these vulnerable people and hopefully the Government will recognise that our experience shows that if we have the promise of money and political will that working together we can and will do something about rough sleeping and not just shrug our shoulders and walk by. Let us get everyone off the streets permanently. 

 

My NHS Test and Trace risk level goes orange

This is not good news, I have been using the Track & Trace app since launch and my home postcode has always been "low" risk.

Yesterday It turned orange and is now "medium". Please download the app & protect your loved ones. https://covid19.nhs.uk

However, the app is only one tool is the Covid-19 tool box (but potentially an important one).

Check out latest information and safety advice from our Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz and Newham Council here

 

Christina nominated by UNISON Greater London Region & UNISON Scotland to be our 1st ever female General Secretary on same day

 

"Absolutely delighted to secure both UNISON Greater London and UNISON Scotland nominations in the same day.

As a Scot, living in London, these are the two places I’ve called ‘home’ in my life.

I understand the different challenges faced by the devolved nations and the devolved regions in England.

I will stick to my word on supporting every branch and region with the resources they need to campaign on the issues that matter to them and to support every UNISON member".

#Unison

#unisonscot

"Want to help stop the spread of Covid in Newham?

"Live or work in Newham? Want to help stop the spread of coronavirus? Register to join our #Covid19healthchampions 

You'll be part of a network sharing information.

Find out more and register to become a champion https://www.newham.gov.uk/covidhealthchampions
CovidHealthChampions@newham.gov.uk
02033732777

#KeepNewhamSafe

Essex Way Walk: Cressing to Curd Hall Farm Circular (Llama farm; Wartime fighter & Bomber Airfield; Oboz and an Obnoxious individual)

 

Yesterday we continued on our mission to compete the Essex Walk (from Manor Park, East London to Harwich, Essex). The weather was lovely - warm and blue skies. At the start in Hawbush Green there is a marvellous thatched cottage with a thatched "dog and cat" confronting each other on its ridge. 

The walk itself was really quiet with hardly a soul seen all day (with one exception). Lots and lots of ancient green lanes, fields and woods. We passed a site of possible nocturnal "disrepute" (an isolated rural lay side but only a few miles away from the nearest town. Say no more) and a Llama farm with shy young Cria (Baby Llama). 

On the self guided way back to our starting point we got completely lost since a huge quarry has been dug at the site of the former 2nd World War RAF/USAFF Riverhall airfield.  I have subscribed to Ordnance Survey online mapping service but the quarry is not marked and seemingly straightforward right of way footpaths are now blocked by the quarry with no obvious redirection. So there was a bit of a trek to get around this. 

On the map the airfield was also marked as "Polish Site". It appears that after World War 2, Polish Servicemen who served in the British Armed Forces but did not want to go back to Poland (which was by then under Communist rule) lived here for many years with their families. It was known to them as "Oboz". 

On the final way back we came across an obnoxious individual complaining that we had missed the way marks and were trespassing. The path he claimed we had strayed from had been ploughed over but in all my years of walking in the countryside, I have never met anyone so rude and unpleasant. Obviously I ignored him but thanked him for his politeness and courtesy then carried on. 

After the walk (Sav Nav said 10.15 miles) we stopped off at the Railway pub in Witham for much needed rehydration. 

Christina McAnea - Endorsed by UNISON's WOMEN's Committee for General Secretary

 

"UNISON has over 1 million women members. I am so proud to receive the endorsement of UNISON’s National Women’s Committee to become the first woman General Secretary of #UNISON. Let’s make history... http://votechristina.org"

Personally, while I think Christina is the better candidate (while very relaxed about Roger winning) I do think it is about time that a female General Secretary was elected to lead any of the big 3 trade unions (UNISON, Unite and GMB).