Governance referendums in the east London boroughs of Newham and Tower Hamlets have resulted in voters of both choosing to retain their directly-elected Mayor (DEM) systems of local government rather than adopt a more conventional model instead. In plebiscites that took place on Thursday 6 May, the same day as the elections for London Mayor […]
Last week, Newham Council formally reaffirmed its commitment to its £6 million universal free school meals (UFSM) scheme, Eat for Free, after an outcry against proposals for reducing its cost by asking parents to make a contribution. Local MPs, food poverty campaigners and petition signatories had already expressed relief following Newham Mayor Rokshana Fiaz announcing that […]
Thirty Newham councillors, more than half the current total number, have signed an open letter calling on the borough’s Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz to reconsider a new emission-based parking permit scheme introduced yesterday. The councillors say their inboxes have been “overwhelmed” by concerns about the charge and note that the council’s own consultations have shown a […]
In early 2018, Newham’s long-standing Labour Mayor Sir Robin Wales was denied the near-certainty of four more years in the job when a coalition of Labour members decided he’d already been in post too long and taken too much control of the levers of municipal power. Sir Robin was deselected as the party’s candidate for […]
Newham Councillors have voted to give residents a choice between retaining the current directly-elected Mayor (DEM) model of local government or replacing it with a Committee System, under which decision-making powers are spread more widely among councillors, who also chose the council leader. The decision, taken on Wednesday at a full meeting of the Council, […]
The Mayor of Newham would like a referendum on the borough’s local government model to be held on 6 May next year and says it can take place on that date if approved by a meeting of the full council next month. Rokhsana Fiaz pledged in her 2018 election manifesto that such a referendum – […]
Campaigners seeking to change Newham’s mayoral system of local government say they have secured the number of supporters required to force a local referendum on the issue and will present a petition of over 11,000 signatures to the council shortly. In a press release, organisers of what they call the Newham People’s Petition say they […]
The Mayor of Newham is to propose new mechanisms for involving her borough’s residents in council decision-making and exploring holding a referendum on whether the mayoral system itself should be abolished. Rokhsana Fiaz, who succeeded her long standing fellow Labour politician Sir Wales as borough Mayor in May, will on Monday seek councillors’ formal support […]
