Hello Everyone, It’s never a Blue Monday for me, which is a reference to the designation given to the third Monday of January each year, apparently denoting the most depressing day of the year. You know what? It’s all made up as there's no scientific basis that it's true! It just managed to gain traction on the back of a 2004 marketing campaign trying to flog winter sun holidays to people who might be feeling down at the start of the year. It does trivialise the impact of sadness, anxiety and stress that people can experience at any stage of their lives, and at any time of the year. Here in Newham, we want all of our people to be happy, healthy and well, and you can find out what support is available for residents here. There’s been a fast-paced tempo to my week, as I’ve been out and about across Newham to showcase how we’ve delivered Opportunity Newham, as we build a fairer Newham for everyone. On Monday I joined Bloomberg Associates at our London Design & Engineering University Technical College on the Royal Docks, speaking to students about their career and further education ambitions at a time dominated by headlines about all things AI. It was inspiring to hear the thoughtful contributions of the students and share all that we’ve delivered through our Newham Data programme of work – which is opening a raft of opportunities for our folk! We then took the Newham Data show on the road, joining University College London East in Stratford to celebrate almost 5 years of progress in data and AI while launching the next phase of the Newham Data Strategy that drives inclusive growth while delivering better public services. Already we have achieved so much together, partnering with local education institutions and global businesses to drive £1.2bn worth of inward investment in Newham’s digital infrastructure, and supporting over 2,500 residents with AI, data and digital training. The future is bright in Newham and I’m so proud that we’re leading the way in the data and AI space, capitalising on new and innovative technologies to drive inclusive growth: Opportunity Newham for our residents and local businesses always. If you want to find out more about our Newham Data Strategy and how you can access the raft of training and sessions we put on, check out the info via this link here. Talking of our fantastic local businesses, I joined almost 100 Newham business leaders at Sadler’s Wells East in Stratford this week. Together we discussed our Newham 2026/27 Budget, the financial challenges we face and the work our Council is doing to support inclusive growth, protect public services, and empower local people to shape our borough. A huge thank you to Newham Chamber of Commerce for helping me host the Mayor of Newham Budget Breakfast over at Sadler’s Wells in the Eastbank at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Our Newham businesses sustain our local economy, bringing in investment, creating jobs and of course providing all the goods and services we rely on every day. You can read more about the 2026/27 Budget setting process here - where you can also share your views. I was back at University College London East on Wednesday with Andrea Ruckstuhl, CEO of Lendlease Europe, meeting with students to talk about our respective plans and collaborations to tackle the national housing crisis, and build homes people can afford as we support the UK Government’s target to deliver 1.5m homes. It was clear that young people also believe that access to genuinely affordable homes is a basic right; that’s why it’s so important that we build quality, genuinely affordable homes that are fit for the future and well designed. This has to be a national mission - and it’s been my mission here in Newham as we build homes our people can afford. Every day in London, Council’s spend circa £5m on temporary accommodation as more people face homelessness. That’s why we must tackle the housing crisis by boosting supply. In Newham, we’re making progress in delivering homes our residents can afford and are amongst the top performing Council’s building social rent homes through our housing delivery company Populo Living. If I had to characterise my week so far, I’d say it’s been all about working with partners, including world-class University College London, in our borough and beyond, to collaborate and share ideas so that we can address real life challenges now and innovate in preparation for whatever may come up in the years ahead. We must secure our future now as we continue building a fairer Newham for everyone. I can see that happening every day, including earlier today when I stepped into the Our Newham Work service to meet our amazing team. I was simply blown away by their dedication and commitment to supporting all our residents into training and jobs. No doubt I’ll be similarly impressed when I get over to our Forest Gate Youth Zone shortly, because our young people are so inventive, curious and determined to make us proud. Take good care of yourself and I hope you get a chance to have some proper rest and relaxation this weekend. Best wishes, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE Mayor of Newham Follow what I am up to via X/Twitter/Insta: @rokhsanafiaz | 
