The mayor wants to set up eight “community neighbourhoods” to help decision-making but has only offered leadership roles to his Labour colleagues, reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter

Newham mayor Forhad Hussain (inset left) with opposition group leaders Mehmood Mirza (inset top right) and Arshan Baskaran (inset bottom right)

Opposition parties have threatened to boycott Labour’s plan to transform how Newham Council works in the borough’s neighbourhoods.

Labour mayor Forhad Hussain wants to set up eight “community neighbourhoods” to feed into his decision-making.

But all eight are set to be led by Labour councillors, even in areas predominantly represented by the Newham Independents and Greens.

Newham Independents councillor Oli Rahman said both groups “have made it absolutely clear that they will not participate” unless ward councillors can choose who leads their neighbourhoods.

Hussain’s community neighbourhoods aim to bring together councillors to draw up plans for each of their areas.

The eight proposed neighbourhoods are Stratford and West Ham, Forest Gate, Manor Park, Green Street, Plaistow, East Ham, Beckton and Royal Docks, and Custom House and Canning Town.

Proposals say they will gather feedback from residents and improve co-operation between the council and community, voluntary and faith organisations, and other local services.

The new bodies will “provide a shared understanding of each area, helping services and partners focus on what matters most to local people”.

However, community neighbourhoods will not be able to make decisions themselves.

Instead, they will feed recommendations and advice back to Hussain, through councillors he has appointed to lead them, known as “lead commissioners”.

Although the lead members haven’t been formally announced, the Newham Independents and Greens have been told all eight will be led by Labour councillors.

The two opposition parties challenged the plan at an overview and scrutiny committee meeting on Wednesday (2nd).

Newham Independent Sophia Naqvi pointed out no single party has a majority on the council, following elections in May.

She said: “Given that Newham is a no-overall control council, and this report repeatedly emphasises partnership, resident participation and local leadership, how does the mayor or cabinet lead member justify appointing community neighbourhood lead members to areas where there party has no elected councillors, or few?

“What consideration was given to ensuring neighbourhood leadership reflects the democratic mandate of the council residents actually elected?”

Green councillor Nate Higgins noted lead commissioners would be able to claim money back from the council through special responsibility allowances.

He asked how residents would know they were “doing a good job”.

Cllr Higgins said: “The meetings we’ve had so far are in private. Do people even know who these people are? What does accountability look like?”

Newham Independents leader Mehmood Mirza told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) his group would “not take part in the programme under the current arrangements”.

Green leader Arshan Baskaran told the LDRS the consensus among his councillors is that they would also not attend.

Senior Labour councillor Lakmini Shah, responsible for communities, said as elected executive mayor Hussain is entitled to make the appointments himself.

She said he would need “to have a person, a colleague or a councillor that he will work with, and that person will take the messages back from the collective neighbourhood councillors”.

Cllr Shah said the community neighbourhoods would aim to “resolve stubborn issues” affecting different areas of Newham.

She added: “It is for colleagues here to come and attend the meetings, tell what your priorities are, get the services done for your residents.

“If you don’t attend you will not have the opportunity to deliver.”

Janie Berry, the council’s monitoring officer responsible for ensuring the council follows its own rules and the law, said Hussain would be responsible for holding the lead commissioners accountable.

However, Berry said she would be required to ask for evidence of this from him to make sure “that they are doing the work they are receiving the allowance for”.

Leading Labour councillors are set to endorse the community neighbourhood model at a cabinet committee meeting on Tuesday, 15th September.

But the overview and scrutiny committee has recommended they delay their decision, and allow councillors representing each area to elect their own lead commissioners.

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