Newham Voices asked the candidates for the 13 July by-elections in Boleyn and Wall End to spell out their answers to the challenges facing residents.

Lawrencia Durojaiye, Boleyn Ward

I have been a care worker for over 20 years. It is a job I love – working with the elderly, the disabled and youngsters. They have hopes. ambitions and dreams too, just like the rest of us.

However, they are fragile to their environment, and that is why it is vital they are both safe and made to feel safe.

This starts with having a clean environment for mobility and to improve their mental health.

Unfortunately, in Boleyn, fly tipping is common. Crime is epidemic – according to local police data, in the month of April 2023 alone there have been 69 criminal incidents of which 25 were violence and sexual offences in Boleyn. Women don’t feel safe walking home alone. Parents are deeply concerned about their children. The elderly and disabled are afraid of being robbed.

It is extremely sad to say, however, residents do not feel there is any point calling the police anymore.

I am standing to make our streets safer and cleaner. I pledge to collaborate closely with our local Safer Neighbourhood Police team. I will maintain a consistent police presence and establish temporary CCTV facilities to enhance safety on our streets and catch fly tippers. www.met.police.uk/area/ your-area/met/newham/ boleyn/contact-us/top-reported-crimes-in-this-area.

The Conservative candidate in Wall End is Durai Kannan.

Joe Hudson-Small, Boleyn

I’m Joe Hudson-Small, a progressive Green activist and IT consultant who has lived in Newham all my adult life and I’ve got experience working with our existing councillors. I’m a renter and I understand the cost of living crisis and the soaring costs of rent, bills, and food.

The Green Party are the only party with elected councillors We asked the candidates for the 13 July by-elections in Boleyn and Wall End to spell out their answers to the challenges facing residents. holding Labour to account, who had been unopposed for twelve years until we broke through last year. Greens voted against cuts and council tax rises, and unlike Labour councillors, we aren’t told how to vote by our party so we are free to stand up for you.

Boleyn has been neglected – flytipping has been piling up and we know electing another Labour councillor won’t change anything – Boleyn has had 11 different Labour councillors in 10 years.

We have inexcusable levels of air pollution and poverty. Labour blames funding cuts but found £160,000 for coronation parties, spending the second most of any council in the country.

Greens listen and work all year round to make our communities safer and greener. If you want to see change then vote Green this July 13 and choose Joe Hudson-Small as Newham’s third Green councillor.

Tassadduq Cheema, Wall End

My Name is Cheema, and I believe that social justice is entwined with climate justice. We need to challenge the status quo and hold this council to account and I would be proud to represent Wall End joining our current two Green councillors.

The Green Party ensure communities are sustainable which also comes with lower bills – something we all need in a cost-of-living crisis. There are real issues with insufficient affordable housing, damaged pavements, potholes in the roads, cycle lanes damaged and of course, litter flowing down the streets with flytipping on every street corner. Nothing has changed under Labour’s rule of this Borough.

I want to champion your concerns to make a real difference you can see daily – I want to be invested in the community, strengthening it and helping support everyone.

Greens are the only other party that can beat Labour in Newham. We proved this last year breaking the one-party state of 100 percent Labour control, winning two council seats and holding Labour to account. I want to be visible in the community and if elected I will be there for you in order to support you with your issues on a daily basis.

Mehmood Mirza, Boleyn Ward

I have been living in Newham for 25 years and am currently working as a pro bono legal adviser. I believe in equal rights and opportunities for every one regardless of their gender, background or beliefs.

With food inflation at 20%+ and all our bills going sky high, we need a council that protects its people. In the latest budget Newham Labour put up your council tax and made cuts to services totalling millions. Newham council is doing the dirty work of the government. As your local councillor I will challenge the Council to stand up to the government and launch a London wide campaign to demand more money from central government.

Labour are no longer serving the interests of working people, they are acting as agent of Tory Government and fat cats, I will speak out for you. Unlike the other political parties, I am independent which means that I don’t have to listen to a political party’s instructions or agenda because you as the resident are my party. I only have you to listen to you.

It’s time you say No to Newham Labour and elect me as your Boleyn ward councillor to fight for your rights. Let’s make history in Boleyn.

Sofia Patel, Boleyn Ward

I was born in Newham, grew up in Forest Gate, and now live within the heart of the Boleyn ward. I am therefore passionate about my local area and the community I am proud to be a part of. Due to the death of my father when I was five years old, I was brought up in a single-parent household and worked various low-paid jobs in retail, hospitality and care to help provide for my family. These experiences provided me with a strong work ethic that helped me study for a part-time degree as a mature student and eventually work for the leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer MP.

Living in the area and talking to residents, I have a good idea of local priorities. I will bring fresh determination to the campaign against the fly-tipping that blights our area and I will work to ensure our environment is protected and pollution cut.

I will ensure that Boleyn gets the investment and infrastructure it deserves, from new lighting along Green Street to making sure the agreed investment in Queens Market and Priory Park goes ahead. I will work with local police to tackle anti-social behaviour and ensure our streets are safe and homes secure. I will ensure our area benefits from the Council’s Cost of Living Crisis response and its action against rogue landlords.

From Green Street to Barking Road, from Priory Park to Henniker Gardens, I will be a determined and tireless advocate for our community and for the area I am proud to call ‘home’.

Stephanie Garfield, Wall End

I’m standing to represent the Wall End community on Newham Council because I want to give a voice to residents struggling under the Tory cost of living crisis, and to secure a better deal for working families and local businesses.

I care deeply about this community and the people who make it special because I hail from a working-class household in the West Midlands, in a neighbourhood just like Wall End. Having been a Newham resident for seven years, I’ve dedicated myself to advocating for social and economic justice, inspired by my roots as a grandchild of the Windrush generation.

My career began as a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, assisting patients in accessing healthcare. I’ve supported students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) at Newham Sixth Form College, and worked in the NHS during the peak of the pandemic—a testament to my lifelong commitment to public service.

Living in Newham, I understand the day-to-day struggles families in Wall End face, especially given the economic hardship our Tory government has imposed, with skyrocketing rent and mortgage costs, stagnant wages, and an overwhelmed health service. In this by-election, I see a chance to fight for Wall End as well as support local charities and the small business community as your representative.

I am determined to make a lasting difference for the people of Wall End, and together, we can create a brighter future for our community.

Liberal Democrats in Newham believe the Labour council are not doing a good enough job for local people. For decades, they have taken your vote for granted.

Claire Pattie is standing in Wall End. She is a genuine local candidate who lives and works in East Ham and has family living in Wall End ward.

David Terrar is standing in Boleyn. He was born in Limehouse, brought up in a council flat in Barking, is a lifelong Hammers supporter and moved back to Newham in 2020.

Both candidates love the diversity of Newham and the spirit of its people.

They are also passionate about the values the Liberal Democrats stand for – liberty, equality, and community.

Claire is a self-employed lawyer who works with technology businesses supporting their legal needs. She has previously worked as a carer for adults with severe epilepsy, as a swing dancer and teacher and as a lawyer for the BBC.

David has worked in the technology sector for 45 years and is the CEO of a not-forprofit trade body called the Cloud Industry Forum.

Claire has never stood for an election before, but has been an active part of her community, including co-setting up a Resident’s Association that aims to nurture supportive community spirit, protect neighbourhood spaces and campaign for the improvement of local services.

David was a councillor for Sandridge Parish in St. Albans for ten years, and chair of the Council for five of those years.

Like the Liberal Democrat party, they both have a track record of getting things done. Both value community-led problem solving, the importance of effective local government and are committed to listening to, and championing, local voices.

As your Councillors, they will serve with empathy, dedication to the area, and will work hard to ensure the provision of essential services to support local community groups and businesses. They both believe community concerns about crime, litter and facilities need to be better addressed and the steady decline in local green spaces over the last 50 years is a trend that needs to be reversed.

David Sandground, Wall End

Having lived in Wall End for 34 years, I believe that Newham needs opposition to the Labour-dominated Council.

I practised for numerous years as a chartered accountant and as such understand the need for balanced budgets and will put pressure on the Council to deliver.

I wish a review of parking regulations in order to help encourage customers to our High Street and would reinstate free residents’ parking for the first car. I will oppose any proposal for Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. Parking regulations were brought in mainly to stop commuters parking near stations. I would encourage a review of “all – day” restrictions to see if they are necessary.

Education: I would encourage more music, drama and the Arts in general, including appreciation of the Arts, within schools. This widens children’s minds and results in a more complete future life. I would also wish to encourage learning facilities, without exams, for those who have retired. This would stimulate their brain and provide places of refuge from inclement weather during the Cost of Living Crisis.

Finally, I would oppose indoctrination of schoolchildren in such matters as gender identity and critical race theory. There are only two genders and sexes.

Daniel Oxley, Boleyn Ward

I have been resident in Newham since 2008.

My professional experiences include school teaching and being an independent tour operator. Currently I serve as the Chairman of Governors at a highly successful school.

My subject when teaching, was mainly Music and I deplore the marginalisation of this subject as well the many other subjects enduring the name fate. To focus so completely on just a hand-full of subject is, in my view, damaging to the core subjects themselves. There should be an honoured place for the Arts and children should exercise their imaginations.

I would welcome a change to the current restrictions on parking. It is difficult to eliminate entirely the motivation of raising money. Some districts of London allow the residents to decide on their own the restrictions. This approach is sadly very different to the more Authoritarian stance of Newham Council.

Amongst many interests I am a committed member of the International Liberty Association. This is non-political, human rights organisation which concerns itself mostly with Iranian matters.

I reject the current trend to all things Woke and the teaching of opinions as facts.

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