“At the End of the Day…” The Man Who Turned The Council Into a Slum Landlord

It’s hard to know where to begin when evaluating the disastrous tenure of Councillor Shaban Mohammed as Newham’s Cabinet Member for Housing — though the wreckage left behind gives us plenty of options.

Labour in Newham has long had a problem with rogue landlords, but under Cllr Mohammed’s watch, the council itself arguably became one. The very authority that fines private landlords for overcrowding, disrepair, and health hazards was found guilty of the same offences — only worse.

In 2024, under Cllr Mohammed’s leadership, Newham Council received a C4 rating from the national housing regulator — the worst rating ever issued. That’s not just a red flag. That’s a five-alarm fire. The regulator’s findings were damning: systemic failure to address fire safety, thousands of unresolved hazards, and a dangerously unfit housing stock, often impacting the most vulnerable residents.

What made it all the more galling is that this happened under the same administration that parades its private landlord licensing scheme as a badge of progressive governance. How can the council hold landlords to account when its own housing stock is riddled with the same — if not worse — violations?

Cllr Mohammed’s leadership was characterised not by diligence or reform but by evasion, delay, and a breathtaking lack of urgency. Even as residents reported leaks, mould, and fire risks, the council dawdled. Promises were made, timelines were missed, and the housing crisis deepened.

And yet, as if presiding over one of the most humiliating failures in the borough’s recent history weren’t enough. Cllr Mohammed’s name is now being spoken about in some corners as a potential Labour mayoral hopeful.

Let that sink in!

To imagine the person responsible for overseeing this catastrophic breakdown in housing standards might now seek to run the entire borough is both surreal and deeply depressing. It speaks less to Cllr Mohammed’s ability and far more to the glaring vacuum of talent within Labour’s ranks in Newham. If this is the best they can offer, residents have every right to ask: what on earth is going on?

There comes a point when political ambition should give way to humility — and accountability.

Or, as Cllr Mohammed himself often says:

“At the end of the day…” — we think it’s best if he saves the NEC some time and doesn’t hit submit on that mayoral application.