Four Years Later, Canning Town Library is Left to Rot and the Taxpayer Foots the Bill.

This is Canning Town Library. We covered the saga surrounding it several years ago, but as the property has been allowed to fester, we have decided to revisit the subject.

Before the election of Ms Fiaz to the role of mayor, the previous regime had negotiated a deal with the Nando’s chain of chicken restaurants. In this deal, Nando’s would refurbish the building at a cost of around £1m.

They would provide a restaurant and a training facility above the site. Some 20 or so permanent jobs would be provided and most of these would go to local people. Nando’s would pay roughly £300,000 per year in rent and rates to Newham.

So, what was the response of the new regime to this proposal?

In short, because a small number of Labour Party activists raised a stink, the mayor ditched the plans.

The direct result of this has been that 

• £1m of inward capital investment has been lost to Newham

• £1.2m in rent and rates has been lost to Newham

• 20 jobs, most of which would have gone to local people have been lost to Newham.

• A restaurant which would have helped to rejuvenate the town centre has been lost to Newham.

Instead, the old library has been left unoccupied.

• It still needs refurbishment, though after being empty for so long, the costs are likely to have increased.

• It has needed security for four years. The last figures we had under an FOI stated that the costs of this were £144,000 per year. Assuming that the costs have not increased this means that Newham has spent £576,000 on security costs from 2018.

Instead of contributing to the regeneration of Canning Town, the mayor has cost the borough £2.2m in lost investment and income; she has burdened the council tax payers of the borough with over half a million in unnecessary spending. She has cost over 20 young people the chance to get on the job-ladder.

Nando’s was branded as “just another chicken shop”. This particular “chicken shop” chain has been remarkably successful in revitalising shopping centres where they are a destination venue. They have been successful both in Beckton and Stratford (Westfield). But they were deemed a bit too low class by our political leaders.

Thirty-seven councillors and the two local MPs signed a letter urging Fiaz to ditch the deal. So she did. But when she chose to walk away from the Nando’s deal, a number of ‘promises’ were made.

Regenerating the building as a community centre was high on the list, even though there is one next door at Community Links. But what has happened? 

Nothing.

We’re sure that the mayor and the thousands of people who work for her have other important things to do. Perhaps, one day some of them will turn their attention to a disused council building on the Barking Road, that might actually contribute to the life of the local community and put some money into the council’s coffers.

We’ve got several new councillors in Canning Town. Perhaps one of them will do something to earn their money.