This week has been another one of marked contrasts, starting with a meeting of Newham’s Full Council on Monday evening, where I spoke to councillors about the budget challenges and the discussions we will be having as a Council and with residents in the weeks and months ahead. You can read my speech in full here.
We have been open and transparent with residents and councillors about the very tough financial challenges we face as a result of the Temporary Accommodation crisis. We have provided detailed information and updated councillors and our local MPs regularly on our financial situation. Without making changes or receiving additional government support, we face a £175m budget gap over the next three years.
Approximately £100m of this gap relates to pressures caused by the rising costs and numbers of those needing temporary accommodation. Without these additional costs - which are largely out of our control - the Council would have balanced its budget for each of the last two years.
As a responsible Council with robust financial management of public funds, we will be engaging with councillors, residents and partners extensively during the budget-setting discussions over the next few months.
Please keep an eye out for the first part of this process, which begins next week, with a campaign highlighting some of the people behind the innovation and ingenuity that characterises Newham, both inside and outside the Council. It will also provide ways for you to get involved.
Yesterday, I saw first-hand some of the great and inspiring work that goes on in the borough by the Council and our partners to support some of the most vulnerable. I was delighted to welcome an interfaith visit of Christian and Muslim leaders to Newham, including Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, and four of the country’s most senior imams, including Chief Imam Dr. Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society. We visited crucial projects that support those who are homeless or rough sleeping, as well as Black, South Asian, and Asian women with experience of trafficking, exploitation, and domestic abuse. I was also pleased to show them the Council’s own Welcome Newham one-stop advice shop for refugees and asylum seekers.
The visit emphasises the Council’s, and my own, personal commitment to interfaith dialogue, addressing critical social issues by working with marginalised communities, and recognising the role that faith groups can play in providing support and tackling these issues. It was also a reminder, after the division and hatred we all witnessed over the summer, of how much our shared humanity unites us and our common purpose of serving our community and helping those most in need.
This morning (Friday), I attended another ‘topping out’ ceremony, marking a significant milestone in the construction of a development of 70 flats in John Street, Plaistow. These homes, when finished, will all be let at rents that local people can genuinely afford - a key part of my Affordable Homes for Newham programme. I was also really pleased to talk to some of the 45 local people who are being supported back into work as part of the project, and to hear how this has helped them.
As part of my visit to Plaistow, I got to see another nearby development of more than 60 affordable homes on Plashet Road, which are now fully occupied. It was lovely to meet and speak to some of the new tenants there. Affordable and decent housing is a basic right, which I am determined to offer to many more people in this borough as we continue to deliver Affordable Homes for Newham.
The changing weather - cold and rainy one day, then rather warm and overcast the next - is typical of autumn, but it also helps illness spread. I hope you all remain fit and well, unlike me, as I’ve been fighting a cold all week. I hope you continue to enjoy getting out and about before the nights start drawing in.
We’ve teamed up with Barclays for an exclusive finance event called "Access to Finance for Businesses". Discover valuable resources, connect with financial experts and explore the diverse range of finance options available to help your business grow.
Meet with our exhibitors Barclays Business Banking, Barclaycard, Eagle Labs, Propel, Newham Chamber of Commerce, Funding Bay, Our Newham Business & Enterprise and our expert advisor Bob Clarke. The event takes place on Thursday 3 October, 5-7.30pm
Residents are encouraged to leave their cars at home and explore their borough on foot, by bike, or by public transport this World Car Free Day; helping to reduce the noise and pollution from daily traffic while providing an opportunity to get active. Find out more about how you can get involved.
Dr Bike’s experienced mechanics can check everything on your bike from wheels, brakes, gears and tyre pressure to lights, racks, pedals, saddles and more. Any minor adjustments they can make to your bike they do there and then for free.
Anything they can't fix they’ll let you know exactly what needs doing and a rough guide to what it should cost at your local bike shop. This session is open to all.
Saturday 28 September,12-4pm at East Ham Library, E6 2RT
Final chance to surrender zombie-style knives in government scheme
The Home Office’s zombie-style knife surrender scheme is running until 23 September. It allows weapons to be surrendered anonymously to police, you can do so at Stratford Police Station.
This national initiative compliments our ongoing knife amnesty bins programme, which you may have already heard about. The government scheme compensates for surrendered zombie knives and machetes - ours doesn’t.
Newham’s programme is part of a broader, non-judgemental knife prevention initiative aimed at removing knives from the streets and reducing the risk of knife-related incidents. Both initiatives have the same aim: tackling knife crime.
Earn BetterPoints when you attend Live Well Newham sessions
Put your health and wellbeing first and join our Live Well Newham weight management sessions, in partnership with Xyla. The free 12-week weight management programme involves a qualified local health and wellbeing coach supporting you through your journey in a group setting. We want to help motivate you to attend the Live Well sessions, with BetterPoints. Register for the programmeand collect 1,000 BetterPoints for every session you attend. You can spend your BetterPoints on shopping vouchers or donate them to charity.
Discover Macmillan's Cancer Information and Support Service
Our Well Newham approach sets out to support the health of our residents, and part of that is highlighting services that help your health and wellbeing. Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service is hosting an open day at the Newham hospital on Thursday 26 September from 11am-3pm. You can explore Macmillan’s centre and chat about the support offered, see local health and wellbeing stalls, receive free health checks and listen to inspiring stories from cancer patients at 1pm. There will be cakes, refreshments and fundraising too!
The event takes place at Newham Hospital E13 8SL Zone 1 (ground floor) from 11am-3pm. For more information
We’re undertaking a review of polling districts and polling places to meet the needs of local voters.
Residents are encouraged to share their views to ensure that polling stations are accessible for all, polling district boundaries are set within each ward and the location of polling stations and places are suitable.
Share your views by Friday 4 October, the results will be published by mid-December.
We were honoured to host Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Chief Imam Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, and representatives from the General Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society and Santa Marta Group for an interfaith visit focused on dialogue and unity. Their visit highlighted crucial projects addressing homelessness, supporting refugees and asylum seekers, combating human trafficking, and aiding exploited women.
Joined by Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz and Councillors Ann Easter and Rohit K. Dasgupta, the faith leaders visited key sites in Newham, promoting community resilience and solidarity.
Together, we are building a stronger, more inclusive Newham.
Our Newham: Empowering residents and businesses with confidential advice and support
Our Newham is the council’s service exclusively for Newham residents supporting you across five programmes: Money, Work, Business & Enterprise, Learning & Skills and Youth.
From helping residents maximise their income and kickstarting career journeys to supporting local businesses and start-ups, find out how Our Newham can help give you the boost you need at: www.newham.gov.uk/ournewham or come and visit us at 112-118 The Grove, E15 1NS
