Newham Council has elected Councillor Nate Higgins as its Chair and First Citezen.
At the Annual Meeting of Council held on 20 May 2026, it was resolved that Councillor Nate Higgins be elected Chair, and that Councillor Dr Rohit K Dasgupta be elected Vice Chair of the London Borough of Newham Council for the 2026/2027 Municipal Year.
Cllr Higgins was elected as the first ever Green Party Councillor in Newham in Stratford Olympic Park in 2022 and was re-elected in May 2026. He has worked as a software engineer since he was 15 years old and has campaigned on issues including democratic reform, anti-racism, and for stronger protections for LGBTIQA+ communities.
Prior to being elected as Chair, he served on the Council’s constitution working group to strengthen the role and voice of the public as well as opposition and backbench councillors within the Council.
Cllr Higgins said: “Newham is a fantastic borough because we are united in celebrating where we are different – across class, age, religion, disability, gender, sexuality, and culture – not just where we are the same. It has never been more important to be engaged in our communities and political process, particularly for young people. As Chair of Council I am committed to working to ensure all in Newham – including people from all political parties and none – can do so fairly and safely. I will work to uphold and strengthen our constitution in the interests of all people in Newham, and I’m looking forward to working with everyone at the Council to do so.”
Cllr Nate Higgins will be supported in his role by his partner Joe as Consort.
Invite the First Citizen to your event
If you would like the First Citizen to visit an event you are hosting, give out some awards or come to anything else that is happening in the borough, please complete the invitation form.
For a word version and for all other correspondence for the Chair of Council please email Civic.Ambassadors@newham.gov.uk
Download Invite the First Citizen Document (Word)
Download Invite the First Citizen Document (PDF)
Current Chair Of Council 2026-2027 & Current Vice Chair of Council
Councillor Nate Higgins, Current Chair Of Council 2026-2027
Councillor Dr Rohit K Dasgupta, Former Chair Of Council 2025-2026 and Vice Chair of Council 2026-2027
Former Chairs And Vice Chairs Of Council
Councillor Imam Haque, Deputy Chair Of Council 2024-2025 and Vice Chair of Council 2025-2026
Councillor Rohima Rahman, Former Chair Of Council 2023-2025
Councillor Winston Vaughan, former Chair of Council 2021-2023 & Councillor Mumtaz Khan, former Deputy Chair of Council 2021-2022
Councillor Salim Patel, Former Deputy Chair of Council 2022-2024
