It seems that the election of Cllr Mirza continues to dominate the political agenda, at least on social media.

Forest Gate blogger and supporter of Mayor Fiaz, Martin Warne has waded in to criticise Mirza.

In his campaign to overturn the Labour majority in Boleyn Ward, Mehmood Mirza promised to oppose a range of money-making schemes imposed by Mayor Fiaz at the expense of motorists. His campaign against the variable (emissions-based) charges for residential parking has begun.

We are used to the mayor and her paid supporters blaming everything on the previous administration, even now. Let’s see how they spin this.

Newham’s newest councillor has set out his stall.

In an open letter to Deputy Mayor, Cllr James Asser, Cllr Mirza takes aim at the way in which arguments around road safety and air quality are used as the basis for income generation buy the council.

Having worked her way around several London councils, with a brief sojourn in Bristol where she cost the local council tax payers some £56,000 for three-months’ work, Abi Gbago is set to join Newham in the Autumn.

There isn’t much to add to what they have said. Increasing the council tax by the maximum allowed will be followed by increases in residential parking charges. Remember those free 30 parking permits a year, for visitors? They’ve gone too. Apparently, they contributed to traffic congestion, (see penultimate para).

Readers will be aware that Newham, and the mayor in particular have been the subject of concerns with regard to her financial management.

Green Councillors Keeling and Higgins, have come up with an interesting wheeze.

Readers will recall that at the last Labour Group meeting, Labour councillors discussed the mayor’s decision to renege on the promises that she had made in her manifesto, only 12 months before. In a motion that was critical of the mayor, Councillors Das Gupta and Beckles urged the Labour Group to support a return to the policy upon which they had been elected.

Is it that councillors have so little to do that they are treating the council like a student union debating chamber? Debate is clearly important, but we are left with the impression that our current crop of councillors are more concerned with promoting their own virtuous credentials, or hearing their own voices, than they are with solving problems.

The July 2023 Labour Group meeting saw another motion that caused the mayor some concern.

Group members were invited to discuss a motion on bullying. It might be that this was intended as a wholly abstract discussion item. Or, it might have been that it was intended to highlight the impending report from the Standards Advisory Committee (SAC).

It seems that the criticism of Newham Labour councillors spurred a couple of them into action this week. Councillors Sasha Das Gupta and James Beckles tabled a motion at the monthly Group meeting.

It was entitled - “Motion 10: Draft Local Plan 50% Social and Affordable Housing”

The above picture comes from an article in August 2022. We have noted the failure of Newham Council to address the issue of street homelessness on several occasions.

The Recorder reported upon a clash at Plashet School between “religious and secular staff” with regard to a new equalities policy. It might otherwise be described as a clash between those who adhere to a traditional understanding of sex and gender and those who don’t.

It seems that our correspondent has fallen into the same trap as that which caught out poor Cllr Vaughan. It was entirely accidental. 

We have previously noted Labour’s attempt to smear the Tories over high taxes, (here). Well, it’s just politics and no-one should need to feel sorry for the Tories.

But somewhere, someone must be feeling just a little embarrassed when Newham’s Mayor Fiaz and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, hike their council taxes by almost 15% in one year, (see here).

Mayor Fiaz (Pronouns: She / Her), has announced her new cabinet line-up.

She informed colleagues that she would be delivering “those services that matter the most to our residents in line with our sound Budget plans”.

We are indebted to The Spectator for much of the following.

As Cllr Keeling noted, the census revealed that significantly less than half of one percent of the population in England and Wales identified as transgender, that is to say, some 262,000 people plus say roughly 40,000 nor so (to account for N. Ireland and Scotland.

There are holes in Newham’s draconian parking regime. It seems that law abiding drivers, who pay their fines get stung. Those who evade the penalties, get away with it.

We did have a pause to wonder whether we were being unkind to the Green councillors on Newham Council, and their obsession with gender politics. It’s okay. We weren’t.

In 1977 the Newham City Farm was set up. In 2021, Newham Council resolved to shut it down.

The loss was keenly felt, not only by the staff and the volunteers, but by the many families that used the farm and the children who enjoyed a unique learning experience.