Turmoil and resignations at the town hall, the sad passing of treasured Newhamites, but still some reasons to be cheerful. 2025 has it all, as Jean Gray reports

The side of a Newham Council branded van

January

There was not much to warm those cold January nights as Newham Voices reported that Applecart Arts had lost its funding and supporters rallied to argue their case, unsuccessfully, at the Council meeting. It was bad news too for Newham’s only remaining dedicated bereavement counselling service, based in Grange Road, Plaistow. The charity drop in centre also had its plea for funding turned down, even though the closure of MIND’s bereavement centre had massively increased its workload. Perhaps the Council had
other priorities, not least investing £20 million in an action plan to improve fire safety after a lacerating report on its housing performance exposed by the social housing regulator.

February

Newham began to feel the effects of having opposition councillors after some years as a ‘one party state’. The majority Labour group won the vote on a crisis budget that would stave off bankruptcy but at the cost of a 10 per cent rise in council tax, a 2.7 per cent rent increase, and the sale of Debden House, a much-loved facility offering holidays in the Essex countryside for Newham children. There was strident opposition as the leader of the Independent Group, Mehmood Mirza, launched a petition to stop the 10 per cent council tax hike. And Councillor Nate Higgins, Leader of the Green Group, told Newham Voices: “It takes a special kind of recklessness for Labour to increase council tax by a whopping 10 percent while gutting council tax discounts for our most vulnerable residents.”
But the crisis failed to put a dampener on the Borough’s celebrations for LGBT+ History Month with events taking place all over Newham.

March

As the clocks went forward, we reported on more reasons to be cheerful. The Council managed to squeeze some financial support from the government to avoid bankruptcy. International Women’s Day and World Book Day were celebrated with gusto, and Councillor Sabia Kamali, chief executive of Sisters Forum, met King Charles at Buckingham Palace in recognition of her exceptional humanitarian work supporting women affected by domestic violence. March also saw the start of a debate that would run throughout the year over a campaign calling for a low traffic neighbourhood scheme in the Woodgrange and Capel area of Forest Gate. And some much needed good news for Hammers fans as West Ham beat Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates stadium.

April

The controversial Silvertown tunnel opened with a complex list of charges and exclusions, countered by news that Newham Council had taken part in setting up a project enabling local people to invest £50 in the environment through the organisation Green Energy Newham.

May

In one of the saddest issues of the year, our correspondent Mickey Ambrose paid tribute to his friend Lorraine Tabone, a tireless, hands-on campaigner for the rights of homeless people whose death prompted a massive outpouring of grief across the Borough. Lorraine set up the charity Lola’s Homeless after experiencing some hard times herself. She was loved and respected by the hundreds who knew
her and who benefited from her wisdom and courage. Newham lost a true champion who is still much missed. But thoughts also turned to the East End’s past when we celebrated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe on 8 May.

June

Warmer days were definitely here as we reported on summer in the park, Forest Gayte pride and Hollywood filmmaker Alberto Corredor saying he would rather stay living in Newham than move to Los Angeles. But there was increasing controversy surrounding the use of cars in the Borough as the Council announced a shake up of parking and charging policies, putting out proposals for consultation which would penalise owners of the most polluting cars. In the same issue we reported on opposition to a low traffic neighbourhood scheme in the Woodgrange and Capel area of Forest Gate, highlighted in our March issue.

July

With the warmth of high summer came two heartwarming stories for Newham Voices. The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer may have since taken back his comments on ‘Islands of Strangers’ when talking about immigration, but not before one local school had the chance to come at this from a different angle. To mark Refugee Week, Stratford Manor’s pupils took the idea a step further with a moving dance
performance entitled ‘Lift the Ban: See Them, Hear Them, Enable Them’ highlighting a ban on asylum seekers working. The children said they wanted coverage in Newham Voices, so we were delighted to send along our correspondent Simon Shaw. In the same issue, we reported an award to Newham Library Service, given by City of Sanctuary UK, a nationally co-ordinated network of organisations that welcome refugees and asylum seekers. The winners of the first Newham Poetry Prize were also announced.

August

No traditional silly season for Newham Voices. We reported the sad death of popular Labour Councillor Neil Wilson, Cabinet Member for
Health and Adult Social Care, and ward member for Plaistow South. But the big news was the Labour Party’s sudden announcement that Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz would not be standing for re-election in May 2026. Ms Fiaz outlined some of her key achievements: “I have loved the opportunity to make our Borough fairer, more tolerant, greener and healthier, more democratic and more prosperous for all.”
But it had been a turbulent year for Ms Fiaz. Faced with an unprecedented crisis in homelessness and social care demands, the Council was grappling with the threat of bankruptcy. It was also scrambling to answer a scathing report by the Regulator of Social Housing for “very serious failings,” with thousands of council home repairs still to be carried out. This led to the resignation of the Council Cabinet Member for housing services Shaban Mohammed but there were calls for Mayor Fiaz to go as well. There was also the astonishing
spectacle of the Mayor herself taking the Council to an employment tribunal. She said she had been a victim of race and sex discrimination in 2022. She withdrew the claim in a settlement that was unclear, but the Council, although denying the claims, agreed to pay more than £30,000 towards her legal costs.

September

A campaign was launched to save Newham’s award-winning libraries from cuts. There is also cause for great pride as nine-year-old Darcy Tosun made his debut appearance on the West End stage in a play at the National Theatre. The East End celebrated the life of its very own film star Terence Stamp who died aged 87. And West Ham fans were out for blood, demanding action from the club’s directors to halt the team’s demise.

October

Protest and outrage over the Newham exhibition that nobody wants – The Arms Fair, once again held at the Excel Centre. Among the hundreds of protesters were trades unionists, religious and community leaders representing all sides of Newham’s diverse population.
How refreshing then to be able to publish in the same issue winning entries in the We Love West Ham Park photo competition, reflections of nature, peace and tranquility, all still available on our website. More trouble for Labour as they suffered a chastening defeat in the Plaistow South Council by-election when Newham Independent candidate Md Nazrul Islam won with 913 votes – almost double that of the Labour candidate Asheem Singh. Victory meant the Newham Independent group became the official opposition party with four seats.

November

Another sad story: the tragic and somewhat mystifying death of a homeless woman, Daniela Terciu, who was found dead in the canal
at Three Mills Lock Stratford on 18 September. Police arrested a man on suspicion of murder, but released him three days later without charge. The incident has been extremely upsetting for vulnerable people in one of Stratford’s poorest areas who are still mourning Daniela, a much loved member of their community.
“People are very upset,” said Samantha White, manager of the Carpenters and Docklands Community Centre which provides support every day to hundreds of homeless people. “How do we say goodbye when we don’t know what really happened?”
But our Editor in Chief, Aidan White, reporting on the story, was unable to find out very much from the police, such as whether there will be an inquest and where it might take place. Is there going to be a funeral so that people can pay their respects to Daniela?

December

We were able to report that as a result of our story about Daniela, local MP Uma Kumaran is asking questions of the police. There was bad news for the hundreds who attend the popular Carpenters Estate foodbank which was facing eviction by the Councilowned Populo Living. Our correspondent Richard Stubbs reported that the foodbank had been given a reprieve until after their Christmas party in early December. However, it would then be expected to move into four portacabins as part of the estate’s massive redevelopment. But,
as Richard Stubbs noted, the work delivered at the centre cannot possibly be carried out within the new space. But there was cause for joy also, thankfully, as the year ended. The December issue was full of stories of achievements by schools and others across the Borough, Plashet School and Newham College to name but two. A good end to the year and we look forward to bringing you all the
news that matters to you in 2026.
Happy new year to readers and all our many contributors!

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