Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz on Monday (20 January) delivered a State of the Borough speech that offered residents an opportunity to understand more about the quality of life in Newham and how the Council under her administration is working to deal with challenges and seize opportunities.
The Mayor’s address to a meeting of full Council was a snapshot of where the borough is at the start of a new year and a new decade.
Her speech and a State of the Borough profile report presented to Council reflected on the evidence that underpins the necessity to tackle poverty and inequality in the borough.
The Mayor said: “In the past 20 months there has been important progress made to deliver the commitments we made to residents, but there is more to do and we intend to accelerate our plans over the coming months. The State of the Borough report gives us clear evidence of why this is so urgently needed.”
The Mayor pointed to the Council’s Inclusive Economy strategy for the next ten years, which was approved by Cabinet members on 14 January.
She said: “To truly tackle poverty and inequality we need inclusive growth which benefits everyone in our community through a policy approach that permeates through every area of our work. This is what we mean by Community Wealth Building.
The Council launched its Community Wealth Building Strategy on 16 January with Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell. The strategy is about ensuring a greater share of the money made in Newham stays in the local economy, rather than leaves it. It’s about putting residents first and placing greater value on equality, sustainability and the environment.
The Mayor said: “Too many local people experience lower wages than the London average and we have families living in outright poverty. A third of jobs in Newham pay below the London Living Wage. We will continue to work with employers and trade unions to raise wages and improve workers’ rights.”
Mayor Fiaz also told councillors that the State of the Borough report illustrates why her administration needs to continue to put an emphasis on lifting up Newham’s young people. Government inspectors last year highlighted historic under-investment by the Council in children’s social care services.
She said: “We are proud to be the first council in the country to appoint a Children’s and Young People’s Commissioner to drive forward better futures. Our Budget proposals for the next three years reflects the largest ever investment in our children and young people, including an additional £4.5m per year over what we spend already. Together with strengthening our approach to community safety, this is our commitment to ensuring Newham’s children grow up happy, confident and safe.”
Housing also remains a challenge and private rents have risen by 56 per cent in recent years and house prices by 78 per cent, yet salaries have risen by only 14 per cent. Residents are more likely to rent from a private landlord that the Council. More than 5,000 families are in temporary accommodation – the highest in England – and the number continues to rise. Rough sleeping is also an issue, particularly in the Stratford area.
Said the Mayor: “We have rightly prioritised our drive towards social rent house building with 1,000 homes begun in this term. And there also plans to address the rough sleeping crisis with compassion and care.”
The report also showed that Newham residents continue to be exposed to the highest rate of air pollution in London, with consequent health impacts including above average rates in many physical illnesses, including the highest rate of asthma-related hospital admissions and the highest rate of air-pollution related deaths. Improving everyone’s quality of life, particularly older and most in need people, remains a fundamental issue for the Council. Adult safeguarding also remains a priority.
The Mayor said: “Addressing the climate and health emergency is crucial for our immediate and longer term health and wellbeing. Our five-year Air Quality Action Plan is the means to act on this.”
Mayor Fiaz concluded: “We live in an exciting, vibrant part of London. We are growing and we have one of the youngest and most diverse populations of anywhere in the country. This positive potential is something we must harness in years to come. However, there are still many instances where we fall short and do not put people at the heart of everything we do so clearly there is still much to be done.”
To read the State of the Borough profile document visit Newham Council’s website.