Our special report highlights failings in the Olympics legacy, but what of the future? Noah Enahoro put a number of questions to Newham Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz. She comments on the issues of local jobs, housing, local democracy and the MSG Sphere and pledges to continue the campaign for a legacy that delivers for Newham residents.

Regarding the small number of local people hired for the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) workforce Newham Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz says its workforce should reflect the diversity of London, as well as the talent that exists in Newham.

“This should have happened from the outset,” she said. “I know that the LLDC is now working hard to been more reflective of the diverse workforce that exists locally.”

She makes a contrast with Newham’s own hiring policy. “Before City Hall moved to Newham earlier this year,” she said, “the Council set planning conditions which means City Hall has to recruit a percentage of its workforce from our local talent pool.”

Fiaz is also sharply critical of the “democratic deficit” in the LLDC’s planning set up. “I don’t think it is right that planning decisions affecting local residents are made by the LLDC’s planning committee which comprises of people appointed by the Mayor of London. Most aren’t elected representatives, which highlights a democratic deficit”.

Now Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has agreed to the demands that she and neighbouring council leaders have made over the past four years regarding the importance of democratic accountability being held locally by elected representatives.

Fiaz says that now the LLDC’s days are numbered and will wind up in 2024

she and other neighbouring council leaders have been working together “to ensure that what replaces the LLDC is locally accountable in ways that the LLDC hasn’t been since 2012, and with local borough’s leading from the front for our people.”

With other neighbouring Boroughs – Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Hackney – Newham is preparing a joint a joint strategy for the future.

In this way, says Fiaz, “we can finally draw out the benefits of the Olympic Park area for our residents in ways that align to our inclusive growth and building a fairer Newham plans including more opportunities and jobs.”

On the MSG Sphere, the plan is on hold and a dispute over the advertising features will be going back to the planning committee for a final decision it can then be approved by the Mayor of London.

Fiaz who has publicly opposed the plan says she will continue to lobby. “I am pleased that the two Newham councillors I nominated to the LLDC planning committee voted against the MSG Sphere planning application earlier this year,” she said.

On the thorny issue of affordable homes, Fiaz blames the broken promise on Boris Johnson, the outgoing Prime Minister and former London Mayor who pledged in 2012 to build 50 percent affordable housing on the Olympic Park.

“Given the acute housing crisis in Newham and east London,” she says, “it is critical that all outstanding developments in Newham that need to be delivered by the LLDC before it is wound down to make real that 10-year-old legacy promise. I have been advocating this since 2018.”

She highlights the decision to build another 450 homes at Rick Roberts Way in Stratford, which presently sits within the planning authority of the LLDC.

“As well as a brand new school, the Rick Roberts Way land will lead to at least 78 per cent being homes our people can genuinely afford.

“We have more plans to deliver even more homes our people can afford in the coming 4 years, plus, as planning powers return to Newham in 2024, we’ll finally hold the decision-making authority to prioritise the delivery of genuinely affordable homes on any outstanding LLDC development sites in our Borough.”

On the question of 453 untenanted council homes in the LLDC area she says these are predominately in and around the Carpenters Estate in Stratford which has become one of London’s largest estate regeneration programmes with a planned £1billion of investment to redevelop the 23-acre estate based on a masterplan co-produced with local people.

“It’s an ambitious plan which was overwhelmingly approved by the majority of residents living on the estate,” she says. “Over the 15-year delivery timeframe, Carpenters Estate will provide 2,152 well designed and wonderful homes and at least 50 percent will be social rent. Overall more than 50 percent being genuinely affordable homes for our people.”

The Council also plans to restore 314 existing homes. She says that in just over two years there will be 136 social rent homes local residents can move into.

Finally, Fiaz acknowledges the enormous challenge of reducing’s Newham hiusing waiting lists where nearly 20,000 have been waiting since 2018.

“Newham faces amongst the most acute and challenging housing needs of any local authority in London,” she says. “We have more households living in temporary accommodation than all the local authorities in the north of England.”

But she insists the Council is working hard to address the problems. Some £2 billion is being spent on house-building and estate regeneration programmes plus investment to improve existing council homes.

“We have changed housing allocations policy to make it fairer and we are ramping up our ability to buy homes,” she said.

Because most Newham residents live in the private rented sector there’s a focus on targeting rogue landlords “and making sure we have the best landlord licencing scheme in the country.”

“We will deliver another 1,500 new homes at social rent levels over the next four years,” she says. As well as campaigning to end the right to buy which is depleting council stock, and putting in place rent controls and more regulation of the private sector the Council is calling for more government cash to build more homes to avert the growing housing crisis.

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