Labour started this term of office with 64 out of 66 councillors; the Greens had two. They suspended one successful candidate before she even took office, so it was actually 63. They suspended one more, lost three to defections and lost three seats in byelections. This is the Fiaz legacy.

Ms McKoy left the authority at the same time as former chief exec, Abi Gbago.

Sources close to the scene tell us that Forhad Hussain has made a decisive break from the Fiaz era. Under his leadership, Newham Labour will apparently stop waging war on motorists and start doing something pretty radical for this borough.

Let local people decide.

The Big Issue has revealed that “Newham Council, which runs the east London borough with England’s biggest social housing waiting list, sold off 130 properties for £10.6 million, only to buy them back for £33.3m

We earlier revealed that the poor collection rate meant that Newham lost up to £5m a year.

As to who is responsible for this, since 2020 Newham has had three chief execs but only one mayor.

Former Deputy Mayor Charlene McLean currently Cabinet member for Resident Experience and Engagement has been given the chop.

Being a key Fiaz confidant perhaps it's only right and proper that Charlene goes down with HMS Fiaz.

Cllr Nur Begum has informed the council that she will be sitting for the remainder of her term as a member of the Newham Independent Group.

This brings the total number of Newham Independents up to five. Two defections and three elected in byelections.

It seems that Newham has been found out as the place which issues the most litter fines in the country.  A survey conducted on behalf of estate agents, Sell House Fast, and reported in Time Out crowned Newham as the Litter Capital of Britain.

It seems that 35 homes were allocated to people who did not qualify for them.

This is a trifle embarrassing when Newham has one of the largest waiting lists in the country.

Newham under Roksana Fiaz has become one of the most anti-business administrations in London.
For now Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz’s bungled handling of cake-gate continues to damage The Labour Party with the Newham Independents hard on their heels, waiting to capitalise.

Open Newham can confirm that a formal complaint has been submitted to Newham Council’s Monitoring Officer alleging misconduct by Manor Park Labour Councillor Mariam Dawood and her father.

Fatima says it’s her only income. Sixteen neighbours back her up, signing a letter saying she’s never caused disturbance, noise, or parking chaos, one even describing her as “a lovely, quiet neighbour.”

Those of us who recall the two years that Ms Gbago was in post recall a collapse in the quality of some services, council tax hikes, massive hikes in residential parking charges, treating motorists like they are the council’s personal ATM.

We have noted that there has been a rather large turnover of chief execs under the leadership of Mayor Fiaz.

Failure is no bar to future employment as there seems to be a revolving door from one highly paid post to another. 

The gossip amongst Labour apparatchiks is that Fiaz is in denial, it is almost as if she doesn’t believe that she will be out of office in six months time.

There is no evidence (yet at least) that there is a continuity plan. We hear that neither Hussain nor his supporters are included in the budget planning.

It appears that he (Cllr Anam Islam) said “you want me to piss on your face or something” to a protestor at this evenings protest at a Labour fundraiser.

We note that Newham did eventually fly the Ukrainian flag, but chose not to fly the Israeli flag after October 7th.

Labour’s monopoly of Newham politics is crumbling. Readers will remember that in November 2023 the Plaistow North by-election marked the accession of the second councillor under the Newham Independent banner.

Labour’s mayoral candidate Forhad Hussain must be thinking what he has got himself into. Fiaz has taken one of the safest Labour councils in the country and made the borough a series of marginals.

She may have achieved what all of the opposition parties failed to do, to bring down Newham Labour.

It would appear that he is in denial. Plaistow South was an embarrassment of the highest order, but he is congratulating the comrades on their “impact” and “data collection”.