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.’
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.
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.
This item is with apologies to anyone who knows all this information, but even long term Labour Party Members sometimes ask about the Co-operative Party!
For over 90 years the Co-operative Party has stood for giving economic and political power to everyone in our society. It stands for:-
Internationally they stand for:-
The Co-operative Party works in a long term agreement with the Labour Party. It sponsors the constituencies of Members of Parliament who are members. Our own M.P. Mike Gapes is a ‘Labour and Co-operative M.P’. There is a branch that meets in Redbridge. You do not have to be a Labour Party Member to join the Co-op Party, but many Labour Party members have membership of both parties. If you agree with these principles find out more and join.
Find out more:-
From www. Party.coop.
From www.Thefeelingsmutual.org.uk
By writing or phoning to the Co-operative Party, 77 Weston Street, London, SE1 3SD. Tel: 020 7367 4150.
By writing to the local secretary Roy Emmett 63 Brocket Way, Chigwell, IG7 4ER.
Whilst you are about it the Co-operative Group has taken over Somerfield. There are now many more places locally where you can get a dividend on your purchases. If you are not a member find out more now.
Visit the Co-operative Group Website www.co-operative.coop
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, along with other local politicians, will lead a march from King George Hospital at 1.15 on Saturday 13th February to a Rally at Ilford Town Hall where he will speak against the proposed closure of the Hospital’s Accident & Emergency department and threat to over 400 beds. Come along on the day and make your voice heard. Commit to attending at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=216847844343
On Monday 5th October Mike Gapes attended the monthly branch meeting of the Seven Kings Branch Labour Party. He responded to questions collected from branch members and put to him by one of their number, Liz Pearce. Mike talked about his constiuency, the situation in Sri Lanka and the Labour Party Conference.
Redbridge Homes, the Council’s arms length housing management organisation, has again failed to achieve 2 stars in its Audit Commission Inspection. This means that £39 million of Government money, which has been awarded to Redbridge Council by the Government to make significant improvements to Redbridge Council tenants homes, will not be released.
Tenants will now have to await the results of another inspection before they will know if their homes will receive much needed improvements. This could take another 10 months to a year.
When the Tories took over Redbridge in 2002, Redbridge Housing had a 1 star rating, In 7 years the Tories have gone to 0 stars and now back to 1 star. Tenants have been badly let down.
Labour asks where is the Tories commitment to providing decent homes for our residents?
