Are These Women Seeking to Undermine a Future Labour Mayor?

Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, Cllr Sarah Ruiz, Cllr Rachel Tripp and Newbie Cllr Blossom Young

As the council began to close up for Christmas we discovered that the West Ham Park LTN will be implemented.

Readers will recall that the majority of the majority party. i.e. most Labour councillors backed the proposal submitted by supporters of the 2026 mayoral candidate, Forhad Hussain. This was essentially, “let the people choose”. 

The aim was to freeze the implementation of LTNs until after the elections in May.

Tactically, this was sensible. Why alienate voters in the months immediately before an election? It would give the new incumbent a chance to review the policy without the pressure of time.

It seemed that Labour had remembered that the council is there to serve the people of Newham, not the other way round.

But we were wrong.

We discover that “the permanent implementation of a “People Friendly Streets traffic management scheme” was delegated to officers. 

The views of residents, which were largely negative, have been over-ridden. The views of the majority of Labour councillors have been ignored. A clear message has been sent to the new candidate. Fiaz is still in charge so he can like it or lump it.

It’s a slap in the face for residents, but it also threatens to mark the outbreak of civil war within the Labour Group at a time when they are facing real challenges from Newham Independents, the Greens and Reform. This is just what they don’t need.

Hussain could have gone into the new year with a small but important victory. He could have built upon this with at least the appearance of unity behind him. Instead, the Fiaz camp have ensured that a policy difference has become an embarrassing debacle.

We are inclined to wonder whether there may not yet be some cost to those who pushed for the implementation of the LTN policy against the wishes of the Group and their choice for future mayor. Could we see some candidate-deselections before May?