Zulfiqar Ali – the Mayor in-waiting!
It seems that Cllr Ali is not quite as keen as some of his colleagues on ending the mayoralty.
Sources within the council tell us that Cllr Zulfiqar Ali, currently “lead member for opposing the emissions-based Parking Tax” is busy manoeuvring himself for the top-job.
Yes, you read that correctly, Cllr Ali has been here, there and everywhere, whipping up the backbench Councillors against his own boss.
Our sources (and there’s plenty of them around these days) tell us that Cllr Ali has been a fierce opponent of Fiaz’s new Parking Tax.
He is so opposed that he is staying put in his £46,000 position. What a principled chap he is.
Cllr Ali has been utilising his contacts in the ‘community’ to spread his message far and wide. Well, right across the Muslim community which now comprises 50%+ of the Newham Labour Party.
It would seem he wants to ensure his bid to be the next Mayor of Newham is unimpeded by his current Boss’s disastrous policies.
There’s putting clear blue water between yourself and a situation, and then there’s Cllr Ali.
It is just as well that they don’t know why Ali stood down as a councillor previously. We hear that he was given an ultimatum by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named; stand down or risk public exposure. Ali it appears chose the former path. His offence, well this former community lead councillor appears to have ensured a mate was paid for some work for Green St Community Forum which was not commissioned through the council’s procurement process. There is a word for this…
I suppose we’ll have to wait for the Labour Group meeting on the evening of 26th January to see if Cllr Ali stands with the 30 rebel councillors who are opposing the Fiaz Parking Tax or will he be brought in line behind his Boss!
To be continued…