Hello Everyone, It’s been a week of talking about how great Newham is because of its people and all the exciting things happening in the borough which is driving lots of inward investment; and in turn, leading to opportunities and jobs for our residents. For instance, over 1000 Newham residents attended our annual Jobs Fair over at Stratford Town Hall yesterday to access a raft of training courses, and employment opportunities, all mobilised by the council’s Our Newham Work team who support local people into jobs. Two residents got jobs on the spot and started them yesterday! People are chatting about Newham especially this week for sure. For instance, I was speaking to an audience of 250 investors on Wednesday over at ‘The Future Is Now’ event at Plexal, the innovation hub on the Olympic Park. With a focus on how the UK can drive growth, the event highlighted the exciting examples that have emerged between local authorities, innovators, world class academic and cultural institutions at the East Bank, businesses and talent in Newham and East London to showcase what this part of London can offer to the country. People are excited about what the future will bring as we continue with these important collaborations. You may have seen the ongoing media coverage about the borough’s homelessness crisis this week, which has largely been focused on the financial impact it is having on the Council’s budget. As I’ve said before the cost of social services and temporary accommodation is costing us loads. That’s why we are lobbying the government to provide us some exceptional financial support to deal with the scale of homelessness in our borough. This week we published a cabinet paper that set out the impact on the Council - including a forecast budget gap of £175 million over the next 3 years. £100 million of that will be caused by the phenomenally high cost of temporary accommodation. Why is this happening? Well, it’s because of a whole bunch of inter-connected things brought about by a mess of a not so affordable housing market. For instance, there’s been a growing number of households who come to us for help after being served what’s called a ‘section 21 notice to quit’ by landlords – basically an eviction notice. We have a legal duty to help them, and often we have to use emergency accommodation, which is low in supply and expensive. While the government has announced it’s going to ban these section 21 eviction notices, as part of a package to deal with the national homelessness crisis, we still have over 6000 Newham households we are helping and who are living in temporary accommodation. The cabinet paper sets out the £20 million of immediate savings we’ve already identified as part of a package of potential savings of some £70 million over the next three years. You can read more about the proposals in the October Finance Report going to our Cabinet meeting next Tuesday, and our statement here. We have been clear we are facing hard choices on what we prioritise, and there are many options still up for discussion with you and other residents. And please – despite the impression you might get from some of the media – let me reassure you, that Christmas and Eid isn’t cancelled in Newham! There’ll be many great Christmas and Eid events and activities which still will be taking place and organised by local partners. That’s why I am encouraging residents to get involved in our Budget discussions to find out more and get the facts from me, Cabinet Members and Senior Council Officers. I kicked off discussions on Monday night, when I hosted the first in a series of public engagement events, which 100 people attended. We set out the reasons behind the Council’s budget gap, the tremendous pressures we face and the options under consideration, including proposals we may need to finalise to save money. It doesn’t mean everything stops! There are important services that we want to protect as we continue our focus on building a fairer Newham. So come join in on the discussions taking place this month and early November. You can find all the dates and sign up details on our website. I wanted to flag that on Monday we’ll be launching the Newham Civic Awards 2024 campaign, so keep an eye out and think about nominating someone in Newham who you believe contributes so much to our borough and our communities. In other words, awesome change makers! Don’t forget it’s also Black History Month 2024 this October. We’ve got loads on, including today's Black Pound Market at Woodgrange Market in Forest Gate running from 9am-3pm. So pop over to support local black businesses! There’s another next week over at Rathbone Market in Canning Town too. Before I sign off, it’s the start of Yom Kippur this evening, amongst the most solemn religious periods for our Jewish communities. So if you are observing, I trust you have a meaningful Yom Kippur with your loved ones from sunset this evening. Until next week, take care everyone.
Best wishes,
Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE Follow what I am up to via X/Twitter: @rokhsanafiaz | 
