Mayor Fiaz Spotted at LGA Conference — Planning for Newham or Planning an Exit?

As council leaders from across the country descend on Liverpool this week for the annual Local Government Association (LGA) conference, eyes are inevitably drawn to those who walk the halls not just with purpose — but with intent. One such figure is Newham’s Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, whose presence at this year’s gathering has stirred more whispers than applause.

The LGA conference is traditionally a space for policy deep dives, networking opportunities, and yes — a few late-night bar conversations about the state of local government. But for Mayor Fiaz, it seems the agenda might be less about the borough and more about... what comes next.

Fiaz, never quite embraced by her peers in the way some of her contemporaries are, cuts an isolated figure at these events. Sources on the ground tell Open Newham she has been seen mingling across political lines — rubbing shoulders with Tories and Lib Dems alike. It’s behaviour that, while not uncommon at the LGA, raises eyebrows given the increasingly uncertain political weather back in Newham.

Indeed, with Labour still yet to announce who they will back as their mayoral candidate, questions loom large. Will Fiaz be given another go at leading the borough, or is this conference a curtain call of sorts? Her active “hunting” for “opportunities,” as one insider put it, is a phrase that seems to mask a broader truth — that even she knows the writing may be on the wall.