Hello Everyone,
I hope you are well, and no doubt looking forward to the weekend with hope that it’ll carry on with the sunshine. So what’s been happening in Newham this week? Well, I wanted to start by letting you know that as part of the improvement journey we started back in October 2023, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (aka MHCLG) issued Newham Council with what’s called a non-statutory Best Value Notice yesterday. It’s basically a mechanism that allows the department to assure itself that the Council is making sufficient progress against its statutory Best Value Duty in how it operates and delivers services, with the department setting out the areas where it expects the Council to make further progress over the next 12 months. As you can read in the statement that I issued on Thursday, I will be making sure that the Council works closely with the MHCLG to provide the assurance to government that it is moving as quickly as possible and taking every step necessary to deliver sustainable improvements across the areas highlighted by government. As always, I am determined that the Council rapidly responds to the Best Value Notice and demonstrates that it is delivering for our residents as we accelerate our journey of improvement and change to meet our Building a Fairer Newham agenda. Since late last year, we’ve strengthened governance, begun transforming services and welcomed independent oversight to ensure we meet our responsibilities. We’ll continue working transparently and collaboratively to deliver the improvements you and all our residents expect – and I’ll be keeping you regularly updated. This past week has been marked by so many poignant moments of reflection as we honoured all those being commemorated on VE Day 80. There were many events across the borough, and as we know there are very few remaining residents who lived through the momentous events of 1945 when the Second World War came to an end. The great generation are now in their 80’s, 90’s, or older. That’s why this year’s VE Day is especially important: a moment to show that their sacrifice has not been, and never will be, forgotten because they fought for our freedoms and stopped the on-going onslaught on fascism. They are truly our Greatest Generation. As mentioned last week, VE Day also provided us another moment to reflect on the tragic events that occurred in Newham during the Second World War – particularly the bombing of South Hallsville School on Agate Street in Canning Town. In September 1940 a bomb hit the school, which was being used as a shelter and evacuation point. Officially 77 people were said to have been killed, but years later the figure was revised upwards, it is believed that the real toll could be as high 600 making it the worst civilian tragedy of the war in the country. 80 years on, VE Day serves as a powerful reminder of the lives lost and the price of our freedom. Earlier this week, I met with my cabinet colleagues to make some really important and formal decisions at another meeting of cabinet - including breathing new life into the famed Rex Theatre building on Stratford High Street!
Built in 1896, the Art Deco style Rex Theatre started out (as it says on the tin), as a place of theatrical artistry and opera before closing in 1933. It was then transformed into a cinema, which closed in 1969, with the building becoming a bingo hall. After that, it became the famed Rex nightclub but that didn’t work out, with the Council repossessing the building in 2013 and unfortunately mothballing it. However, since 2018 we’ve been working through plans on reviving the site.
That’s why, I am super pleased to announce that it’ll will soon be home to the world famous Jazz Café, who will be opening their new venue in our very own Stratford! Whether or not Jazz is your thing, it’s great that we have another awesome cultural asset on our doorstep. It represents a huge vote of confidence in our borough by the Columbo Group, the powerhouse behind the Jazz Café, and is a ringing endorsement for our cultural strategy!
Even better, the venue is part of a broader cultural expansion in the area, which includes UAL’s London College of Fashion, the BBC’s Lime Grove Music Studios, and the V&A’s archive all relocating to Newham. As well as that, at Cabinet on Tuesday we also agreed to receive a £2.9 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to transform the former West Ham Fire Brigade station in the Old Stratford Town Hall into affordable artist studios to support local creatives. As you can see, we are all about bringing in more money and widening opportunities. Talking about bringing in money, I’m pleased to also report that we have received £5.9 million in grant from the government to support local people. Our Household Support Fund has been a lifeline to thousands of residents who have struggled this past few years because of the cost of living crisis. I am really pleased that we can continue helping our resident during tough times as well as the good times. Before I sign off, I wanted to let you know that our Council-owned housing delivery company, Populo Living, scooped the Outstanding Achievement accolade at this year’s RESI Awards 2025. We are delivering on our promise of more homes our people can afford as we drive more and more improvements in our borough. Until next week, enjoy the sunshine and do take care of yourself and your loved ones.
Best wishes, Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE Follow what I am up to via X/Twitter: @rokhsanafiaz | 
