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Newham 1965
Newham’s history includes obvious events such as the 2012 Olympics. More obscurely for some, there is the formation of the London Docklands Development Corporation in 1981, appropriately referred to in Owen Hatherley’s “Alternative Guide to the London Boroughs”. What about the opening of the Theatre in Stratford in 1884, the Silvertown Explosion in 1917, the…
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Newham 65 Says: Re-elect Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan has been Mayor of London for eight years. When he was first elected David Cameron was still Prime Minister. The world had yet to experience the shock of victories for Brexit and Trump. Since 2016, climate science has raised louder and louder alarm bells. The deaths of George Floyd and Sarah Everard –…
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Sabia Kamali demonstrates the vital role of the ward councillor
Stratford Market Village has gained a reprieve, and hopefully salvation, with Newham Council’s Cabinet agreeing to take on its lease for one year. If the market is successful after a year Newham Council will either complete the rest of the 15-year lease agreement or pass it on to another market operator. The Market Village had…
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Timms joins latest call to stop arms sales to Israel
Stephen Timms, the MP for East Ham, has joined 130 other parliamentarians in calling on the government to “immediately suspend export licenses for arms transfers to Israel”. The Guardian’s reporting on this describes the government as “under growing pressure to act amid signs Israel intends to ignore [the] UN ceasefire resolution”. This initiative, bringing together…
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Green Party Parliamentary Candidates Announced
The Newham Green Party has announced its candidates for the three new parliamentary seats covering Newham at the forthcoming General Party. Their candidates are: East Ham: Rosie Pearce West Ham & Beckton: Rob Callender Stratford & Bow: Joe Hudson-Small Whilst Newham is generally seen as safe Labour territory, the new electoral map will make the…
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Newham should “review the size and function of the Mayor’s Office”.
The Local Government Association has published a feedback report on its ’Corporate Peer Challenge’ for Newham – essentially a peer review. Members of the review team included the chief executive of Haringey Council, the directly elected Mayor of Salford and the monitoring officer for Hounslow Council. The review team spoke to scores of people including…
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New ‘open letter’ on Gaza signed by senior Newham Councillors
A new ‘open letter’ has been published on a web page called “Newham Labour for Gaza”, following the International Court of Justice interim ruling that there is a plausible case under the 1948 Genocide Convention, in a case brought by South Africa against Israel. Newham Labour for Gaza’s declaration calls for Labour to “recommit to…
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Consultation due on crisis budget for Newham
On 30 January 2024 the Cabinet is being asked to approve a public consultation on a draft 2024-25 budget for Newham. The proposals are by admission unsustainable, as asset sales are being proposed to fund £16 million of revenue expenditure. An understated tone is delivered on the desperate position of the council’s finances: “it would…
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Labour loses in Plaistow North
Labour has been comprehensively beaten in Plaistow North by the misnamed ‘Newham Independents’, who generally represent a populist anti-Labour/pro-car platform. On this occasion the campaign undoubtedly focussed on the national Labour Party’s position refusing to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. The failure of local MP Lyn Brown to join Stephen Timms in supporting parliamentary…
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MSG gets the msg
Well done Sadiq Khan for taking the correct decision to refuse a development previously approved by the London Legacy Development Corporation (“LLDC”). MSG Sphere would have been a completely inappropriate eyesore, crowd management risk for Stratford Station and, significantly, “a whacking great advertising screen”. Congratulations to all who rigorously opposed this development. Newham representatives Rachel…
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Newham councillors and Mayor call for ceasefire in Gaza
Newham 65 has seen a letter signed by 31 Newham Councillors and the Mayor calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, which we understand was sent to Keir Starmer this morning. The text of the letter is as follows: The signatories are as follows: Zulfiqar Ali, Plaistow NorthJennifer Bailey, Manor ParkSyed Bashar, Little IlfordNur Begum, Little…