Saturday, May 23, 2009

So you want to be a Newham Councillor?

Today I went along to a “taster event for people wanting to stand for Council”. All Labour Party members in Newham have been sent application forms to fill out if they want to be considered and an invite to today’s event.

I posted last November that I had put my name forward to a somewhat mixed blogging response but on the whole it was somewhat supportive.

The event today was held in the Didsbury Centre in East Ham. There were about 25 members present which is not bad for a Bank Holiday Saturday. I had to skive off the West Ham CLP street stall in Forest Gate in order to attend.

The first speaker was the directly elected Newham Mayor, Sir Robin Wales. Robin laid out the Newham Labour vision of making our borough a better place that people choose to live and work inside. Robin argues that in Newham this aspiration is the key test about anything the Council does. The chief barrier to this is worklessness. The deprivation map of London 150 years ago is the same today. Paid employment is the key to change. Practically everything else we want for our wider community depends upon our people being in work and earning money.

Councillor Unmesh Desai spoke next about the highs and lows of being a Councillor. He described how sometimes it is so frustrating since residents would come to him with unrealistic expectations about what he could achieve as a Councillor. He cannot help everyone to be properly housed; he cannot interfere in Planning decisions or School appeals. However, he can make a difference. He can make personal representations over housing repairs and environmental services. He sometimes has to remind Council officers who pays their wages. He went through the code of conduct and standards committee.

The Q&A afterwards brought up a range of issues. Can we improve our communications with voters and Party members? I asked how many hours per week do you have to commit? Others asked what is their best experience as a Councillor and their worse.

Afterwards we went out (photo) and did some door knocking in the local ward as training and I assume sending a message out that if people want to be Councillors they need to “press the flesh”. I went out with a team of 4 and despite all the problems the Party have at the moment, our team struck gold and we had a load of positive responses and two separate people asking about becoming Labour Party members.

If you don’t ask you don’t get.

4 comments:

Mike Law said...

John,

Your funniest post yet! Well done.

Wales and Desai talking to prospective Labour candidates about what it takes to be a Labour councillor... I nearly split my sides laughing.

John Gray said...

Hi Mike

Sour grapes again I'm afraid!

Mike Law said...

Suit yourself... still funny though.

John Gray said...

Hi Mike

HA HA?