As part of our campaign to increase voter turnout in Canning Town South ward’s May elections, Jean Gray, editor of Newham Voices, spoke to regulars at the Custom House and Canning Town Community Renewal Project over 50s lunch club about whether they will be voting and what the key issues are for them.

Their message to the politicians – we believe in voting but don’t take us for granted.

Joyce Johnston, a retired accountant, has lived in Canning Town for 30 years

“I always vote, I’ve already organised my postal vote, but who I vote for depends on what they are saying. One thing I would really like to see is more information available telling us exactly what we are entitled to, but that doesn’t happen in one place. It’s too difficult to find out all the benefits that are there for us to claim.”

Betty O’Connell is a former council worker who has lived in the area for 43 years. She is very active locally and takes part in the community assembly.

“There is no question that I have seen money being squandered. Some of what the council does is very good, other things not so good. I am looking for better communication, more responsible use of money and I want to see promises being kept. It has taken 22 years for the redevelopment of the area and so people have felt very let down over the years.”

As chair of the ward panel for Custom House, Betty is also concerned about safety on the streets, particularly for young people.

She says isolation has been a major issue in the area during lockdown and it can be hard for people with mental health problems to access the help they need. She praised the Custom House and Canning Town Community Renewal Project – Alison Skeat and the team – who have provided help to many people during these times. ‘Alison is really caring and much appreciated’.

Rosario Lobo came to Canning Town from Nairobi, Kenya in 1972. A former sales assistant, his family are originally from Goa in India.

“My father told me that if you don’t vote, you have no rights. It is important to vote. I have been living in a care home for six years and would like more information about how to vote if you are in my circumstances.”

Marie Ann Taylor has lived in the area all her life. She is quite clear about what matters to her – clean streets!

“There are not enough road sweeps,” she said. “Some parts of the area are filthy, so that’s what I’m looking for – a real plan to clean up the area.”

Godhawari Sarkar, known as Gita, usually votes but says people need transport to polling stations and back to make it easy for those who are less mobile. She is concerned about housing repairs.

“There are people much worse off than me, I know” she said. “We used to have an independent older people’s reference group so that we could raise issues, but I believe it has been taken over by the council”.

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