Nate Higgins

ALT MOTION PASSED Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Proposed by Labour, passed with Green and independent support Every act of male violence against women and girls in Newham rests on a thousand smaller acts that male perpetrators believe are acceptable. When we make the everyday sexism; the jokes and the banter, the put-downs or any other form of everyday mysogyny acceptable we lay the ground for more serious stuff – the beatings, the coersive control, the online deep-fakes, the stalking, the rapes, and the murders. So come on Forhad and team, the new 26-28 VAWG strategy has been sat since March! Publish and action the new plan. We desperately need this now! We need a clear strategy that sets out who does what, for whom, and by when – so that words can become the action that women in Newham can feel. Cllr Kelly Drake Maryland Co-Business Manager

ALT MOTION PASSED Get Palantir out of the NHS and Newham Proposed by independents, passed with Green support There is no shortage of capability for the UK to provide the digital health services we need. The government’s outsourcing to multinational firms such as Palantir is overpriced, and presents a threat to the cyber-security of personal data for British citizens. Palantir has a particularly gruesome history for helping the oppressors in situations such as the Israel-Palestine genocide and in the United States ICE deportations. We do not need or want Palantir inside the UK’s health data. Cllr Dr Jack Pickard Forest Gate South

ALT Members Question Lyle Park Upgrades I'm calling for improvements to Lyle Park in Silvertown, which is looking very neglected by the council. Residents deserve to know from the council if it intends to use the offered developer funding for making any park upgrades? Cllr Rob Callender Royal Victoria

ALT Members Question Royal Victoria Lifts Broken lifts on the Royal Victoria Dock footbridge have left residents without an accessible crossing for years, and the new footbridge is now stalled by council delays. When will the Council resolve this agreement and expedite construction so our residents finally get an accessible bridge? Cllr Shabd Pyari Royal Victoria

ALT Members Question Bridget’s Cafe Will the Mayor commit to working to secure the Bridget’s Cafe site for community use – whether through the Council or a Council partner taking it on – or by supporting the current operator to remain? I am willing to meet and work with him to do whatever possible to save this vital community space. Cllr Nate Higgins Stratford Olympic Park Chair of Council

ALT Members Question NCIL Funding Given the Mayor's planned Community Neighbourhoods model, will he commit to giving them full Area Committee powers to unlock the millions we have in unspent NCIL funding across the borough, enabling councillors to support their residents and prioritise spending in their communities to meet local needs? Cllr Joe Hudson-Small Stratford Olympic Park Deputy Leader

ALT Members Question Garden Waste Collections Bulky waste collections have rightly been made free since September, but green garden waste collections still cost residents money. Will the cabinet member commit to making garden waste collections free in Newham on the same basis as the changes to bulky waste collections? Cllr Ren Tilbury Maryland Co-Business Manager

ALT Newham’s Local Plan – Green Group Response! We’re pleased to finally see a new Local Plan proposed for Newham – the last one dates back to 2018. There’s a lot of good in here. We’re projecting just shy of 50,000 new homes being built by 2030... ... and we’re finally allowing the council to take back control of the LLDC’s mayoral development zone in the Olympic Park, which I represent. But there’s still a lot more that needs to be done. Residents’ wages are stagnant, the cost of living is still rising, and the housing crisis is only getting worse – we need to be building more new housing – affordable housing to bring costs down. Sadly, the Labour mayor’s own manifesto commitments (from two separate elections!), the recommendations of the Housing and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee, and this council’s explicit votes and decisions have all been mysteriously erased in the final plan.

ALT That’s because the Labour government have stepped in to block our commitments to affordable homes – our policy to deliver 50% of all new housing at social rent in all new developments. Our Local Plan has been stripped of its ambition by a party who ran on “change” – and with it goes any real hope to tackle the housing crisis here in Newham for one more generation. We are still the borough with the worst record on temporary accommodation in London, and we are still the council with the second-longest waiting lists for council housing anywhere in the country. This plan won’t build enough council homes to meet the rising demand. Young people in Newham will pay the highest price. Cllr Joe Hudson-Small Stratford Olympic Park Deputy Leader Chair of Housing and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee