Oona King has been out canvassing in Chadwell Heath in support of Wes Streeting, the Labour candidate for the forthcoming by-election. Onna was the Labour MP for Bethnal Green & Bow between 1997 & 2005 and continues to maintain a high profile in the Labour Party & the media. She joined local MP Mike Gapes, Councillors and Wes as they met local residents.
Wes Streeting, seen here with Mike Gapes M.P., has been selected by Labour to be its candidate in the Chadwell by election on July 8th.
Wes has just come to the end of his term as the full time elected president of the National Union of Students, representing more than 7 million students in colleges and universities across the U.K.
He has also been a governor of the University of Cambridge and a board member of a number of national higher education sector agencies. Most recently he has been campaigning in marginal seats across the country in the general election.
Chadwell Resident Wes said:-
‘It is sad that Mark Gittens had to stand down as a councillor due to a technicality after topping the poll in Chadwell in the recent elections.
My term of office as NUS president comes to an end this week, and I am pleased to have been selected to give something back to the community in which I have lived for 9 years. I have the national experience to be a local champion for Chadwell’s residents.
The current Council is run by the Conservatives in coalition with the LibDems and has neglected Chadwell for many years. Now your new Labour Team is up and running with advice surgeries dealing with your problems. I want to be part of that Team and make a real difference.’
The Labour Group on Redbridge Council held its first meeting on Sunday 16th May when the election of officers was the main business. Elaine Norman stepped down as Leader of the Group leaving the way open for a new team.
Bob Littlewood and Balvinder Saund, both representing Seven Kings Ward, were elected Leader & Deputy Leader of the Group. Helen Coomb, elected in Clementswood, is the new Chair while Ross Hatfull, representing Valentines, is Secretary to the Group. Bert Jones, elected in Goodmayes, becomes Treasurer, Baldesh Nijjar, from Chadwell, is Press Secretary & Mike Figg from Aldborough is the Whip.
Balvinder commented:
We are very priviledged to have a team of experienced committed Councillors and an intake of new Councillors buzzing with enthusiasm and skills and various interests, who will help strengthen the Labour Group to work towards the pledges made to the voters. Unity and the diversity of the group will be a powerful force to scrutinise the Tory/Lib-Dem Cabinet’s work and hold the new administration to account on behalf of all the residents of the Borough. We are grateful to the outgoing Leader of the Group, Councillor Elaine Norman and Chair of the Group, Councillor Dev Sharma who helped towards the increase of Labour Councillors on the Council. We look forward to working with the new team to defend our front-line services.
Labour candidates recieived over 4,000 votes more than the Tories in the recent local elections in Redbridge, and yet the Tories remain in power at the Town Hall in coalition with a tiny group of Lib Dems.
In Ilford South Labour has made further gains, virtually wiping out the LibDem presence by taking Chadwell for the first time and regaining seats from them in Clementswood & Goodmayes. Labour gained two seats from the Conservatives in Mayfield & Cranbrook has a Labour Councillor for the first time.
Labour took Tory seats in Aldborough and Clayhall in Ilford North as a result of some tremendous local campaigning. We said goodbye to the BNP and were a step away from taking seats in Hainault, also in Ilford North ward.
Heavy support for Labour in Wanstead and Snaresbrook contributed to a great result for John Cryer MP in the parliamentary election in Leyton & Wanstead.
Bob Littlewood, Leader of the Labour Group said:
In terms of votes, we won this election.
The little LibDem group have not yet told us which Conservative policies make teaming up with them so attractive.Did LibDem voters want a Tory Council?
We will fight inside and outside the Town Hall to promote the policies which “won” the election in Redbridge - on school places, on affordable housing, on giving residents a stronger voice, defending Sure Start, improving transport and decent care services. After all, this is what most Redbridge people voted for.
Mark Gittens, who was elected to represent Chadwell ward has been forced to resign as a Councillor because he is a teacher in a Redbridge school.
Local teachers are ineligible to stand for election to the local authority for which they work.
Bob Littlewood, newly elected Leader of the Labour Group of Councillors on Redbridge Council, commented:
“I am sure that I speak for the Labour Group and the Party in Redbridge in expressing great sympathy with Mark. We thought we had Redbridge’s first black Councillor and someone with ongoing experience of work in the community.
A number of people failed to realise that Mark was not eligible to stand before the election. We made an innocent mistake.”
The date of the by-election is to be announced.
The results of the General Election 2010 are disappointing for Labour nationally, but neither do they show any wish to go back to the bad old days of the Tory governments of the 1980’s & 90’s. Nor have voters been convinced by the Liberal Democrats. Here in Ilford South, voters have shown their confidence in their Labour MP by re-electing Mike Gapes with an increased majority, at the expense of both Tories & Liberals. Thanks to all the Labour Party members & supporters who have put in so much hard work to make the local campaign a success. And thank you to the people of Ilford South who turned out to vote in their tens of thousands yesterday and showed their support for their Labour MP. For full details of the result visit the BBC website.
The local council results have just been announced with the Labour Party gaining seats from both Tories & Liberals. The Conservatives have lost the London Borough of Redbridge to “No Overall Control”. The final result gives the Tories 30 seats, Labour 26 & Liberal Democrats 7. Of the 27 council seats in the area of Ilford South, 24 are now held by Labour. Full details can be found on “Redbridge i”.
PS: Breaking news from Barking & Dagenham. The BNP have been wiped off the council with Labour making a clean sweep. Labour 51 seats, fascists 0. The BNP previously held 12 seats on the council. Congratulations to the Labour Party in Barking & Dagenham and thanks to all those from other parties or none who have fought against the BNP.
Monday March 8th is the deadline for the public consultation on the health authorities proposals for North East London, including the closure of Accident & Emergency and other services at King George Hospital.
What can you do NOW?
1. Take part in the consultation, which runs until March 8 2010. Fill in the questionnaire on the Website www.healthfornel.nhs.uk.
2. Write in protest to Freepost RSAE RCET ATJY, Health for North East London, Harrow, HA1 2QG.
3. Call them with your views on 0808 238 5416 ( it is a free line).
4. Sign Mike Gapes M.P’s new petition on line at www.savekinggeorgehospital.org.uk or by requesting forms from his Constituency Office at 6 Mildmay Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1DT, Tel: 020 8911 0899. Forms need to be returned by Monday 8th March.
5. If you can manage it, we are encouraging everyone to ask for some forms and get their friends and neighbours to sign. Just remember we need them back by March 8th
Despite poor weather on 13th. February hundreds of supporters of the campaign to keep King George Hospital turned out to march from the Hospital to the Town Hall.
Ilford South Labour Party members were prominent on the march and the overall organiser Andy Walker is a member of Seven Kings Branch Labour Party.
At the Town Hall there were speeches from local M.P’s including our own Mike Gapes and Margaret Hodge from Barking.
Among our photos here we see Mike Gapes M.P. at the start of the march, crowds outside the Town Hall, Cllr Stuart Bellwood and Aziz Choudhry Labour candidate for Valentines in the May council elections in demonstrating mood, and Cllr Javed with Ilford South Labour Party Chair Helen Coomb and her sister Catherine on the march.
The Campaign goes on with another rally planned for 17 April. This time the idea is to get the local faith groups, who have all been keen supporters of the hospital to take the lead. Andy Walker is again the Organiser, watch out for more details.
In the meantime remember to sign Mike’s petition on his website, or if you want to get your friends and neighbours to sign, ask for paper copies ( phone 020 8911 0899) and return them to Mike’s Constituency Office at: 6 Mildmay Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1DT.
Also remember you have until 8 March to participate in the consultation on health services in North East London. Go to www.healthfornel.nhs.uk or use the freephone 0808 238 5416.
The photograph shows Ilford South Labour Party members, with their M.P Mike Gapes, just before they presented the petition with 28,000 signatures demanding that King George Hospital be saved in 2007.
Our 2007 Campaign was successful. Now the regional health service management have returned to this ridiculous proposal. They have issued ‘Health for North East London’ a consultation document which in their view is the route to ‘delivering high quality hospital health services for the people of north east London’. What appears again is the downgrading of King George Hospital, closure of the A&E and closure of the maternity unit.
4 years ago Lord Ara Darzi was commissioned by the Government to look into the future of healthcare in London. His initial proposals envisaged local hospitals serving a population of between 200,000 and 250,000 proposals. Under these proposals, from our health service managers, Redbridge plus Barking and Dagenham with an expanding population, currently of 446,000 will be deprived of a local hospital.
Already Redbridge Council has rejected the proposals at its Health Scrutiny Committee and voted to ‘refer the issue to the Secretary of State for Health requesting that he establish an independent review of these proposals…’
What can you do?
1. Take part in the consultation, which runs until March 8 2010. Fill in the questionnaire on the Website www.healthfornel.nhs.uk.
2. Write in protest to Freepost RSAE RCET ATJY, Health for North East London, Harrow, HA1 2QG.
3. Call them with your views on 0808 238 5416 ( it is a free line).
4. Sign Mike Gapes M.P’s new petition on line at www.savekinggeorgehospital.org.uk or by requesting forms from his Constituency Office at 6 Mildmay Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1DT, Tel: 020 8911 0899.
5. If you can manage it, we are encouraging everyone to ask for some forms and get their friends and neighbours to sign. Just remember we need them back by March 8th
6. JOIN THE MARCH AND RALLY. Meet outside King George Hospital on Barley Lane at 1.15 p.m. on Saturday 13 February 2010. March to the Town Hall in Ilford High Road where you will hear Mike Gapes M.P (Ilford South), Lee Scott M.P. ( Ilford North) and Chris Carter (Editor of the Ilford Recorder) speak against the proposals from the Town Hall steps.
Read Mike Gapes full speech in Parliament on this subject, go to www.mikegapes.org.uk
Mike Gapes, MP for Ilford South, spoke to a meeting of local Labour Party members last Thursday night on the inhumane detention of 300,000 Tamil men, women & children by the Sri Lankan government. He will be supporting a resolution to the Labour Party Conference supporting the call by the National Union of Journalists to allow journalists to enter Sri Lanka to report on what is happening in the camps. British Tamils need to know what has happened to their relatives. The resolution also urges the government to press for the withdrawal of favoured trading status for Sri Lanka, which is currently being reconsidered by the European Union, until aid charities and journalists have free access to the country.
