For her final full Council Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE set out the progress and achievements made by Newham Council under the Building a Fairer Newham Corporate Delivery Plan (2022–2026).
The report, which was presented to Full Council yesterday evening (March 23), sets out how residents have benefited since the launch of the Corporate Plan, which put in place the foundations for a healthier, safer, greener, and fairer borough.
Mayor Fiaz, who was first elected in 2018 with a commitment to put “People at the Heart of Everything We Do,” described her time in office as the greatest honour of her life.
She said that during her two terms, she has led the borough through the Covid19 pandemic, the national cost of living crisis, and the pressures of an increasingly inaccessible housing market.
Reflecting on her time in office, Mayor Fiaz said: “Since I was first elected Mayor in 2018, I have been driven by a simple but powerful belief: that every resident in Newham deserves to live a life of dignity, fairness and opportunity.
“These past eight years have been the greatest honour of my life, but they have also demanded resilience, determination, and collective effort as we navigated some of the most challenging times our borough has ever faced.”
She added: “From the pandemic to the cost of living crisis, we have never wavered from our commitment to building a fairer Newham… Together, we have laid the foundations for a borough that is healthier, safer, greener and fairer—and while there is more to do, I am proud of the distance we have travelled.”
Under five major headings, she explained:
- Investing in our Future: From establishing our trailblazing Youth Zones to the award-winning Youth Empowerment Service, the Council has ensured every young person in Newham has the support they need to dream big and succeed. Children’s services have gone from an Ofsted rating of ‘requires improvement’ to outstanding.
- A Growing, Inclusive Economy with a Just Transition in response to the Climate Emergency at its heart: Newham has seen a 26% increase in local jobs since 2018, with a focus on fair, inclusive growth - securing living-wage jobs and apprenticeships so that residents are the primary beneficiaries of Newham’s economic success.
- Homes for Our Residents: Advocating for more social housing and holding developers to account, ensuring that ‘affordable’ actually means genuinely affordable homes that people can afford. And combining the efforts of the Council’s wholly owned housing delivery company, Populo Living, we have built more and more genuinely affordable and well-designed homes.
- Health and Wellbeing: By shifting our focus toward prevention, ensuring 95% of our infants receive face-to-face visits within their first 14 days, and maintaining some of the highest standards in the country for safeguarding our most vulnerable residents.
- Giving our People a Voice: Through People Powered Newham, the Council has pioneered participatory budgeting and Citizen Assemblies.
The Mayor acknowledged challenges too, including the 2025 non-statutory Best Value Notice, which has accelerated improvements in governance, financial sustainability, and service performance.
Mayor Fiaz added: “These papers are not just a record of policy. They are a testament to eight years of passion, hard work, and our refusal to accept the status quo.”
Building a Fairer Newham 2022-2026 - achievements to be proud of (PDF) >
Building a Fairer Newham Outcomes Framework Key Performance Indicators (PDF)>
