Forest Gate North – Rachel Tripp's councillor blog

Ellie writes…

I don’t know if anyone saw the news last week that the NHS is now collecting data and recording cases of Female Genital Mutilation? It is a great step forward.

In my role as a Cabinet member in Newham I have responsibility for preventing violence against women and girls. This information will help us understand how big the issue is and therefore how long our journey is to eradicating it. However, there is no point in collecting data without supporting the women behind the figures.

Yesterday, I spoke on a panel with the police, social services, survivors and others at a very useful event in Canning Town (expertly chaired by Councillor Ann Easter!). It was run by our FGM prevention service to get the message out to professionals. They showed this very moving video which I would urge you to watch and share.

Lets not mince our words, FGM is about cutting a woman’s vagina with a knife. This can mean taking a blade to a five year old girl’s genitals without any pain relief causing long lasting damage, physical and psychological.

No religious, social or cultural justification can defend a practice so blatantly rooted in gender inequality. Controlling female sexuality causing severe damage in return for an idea about women’s purity and men’s enjoyment.

So, despite the huge cuts to our budget, Newham have just set up an FGM prevention service as part of our One stop Shop for sexual and domestic violence. It is the first of its kind in the country, and we need it to do three things:

Firstly, to help us better understand the problem by undertaking research and collecting comprehensive data.

Secondly, to support those affected and to work with those at risk. This will be done through casework advocacy, and empowering victims to report to the police. The service has already run training for hundreds of professionals to help them recognise the problem, including all of the local maternity department.

Thirdly and finally, to challenge, and change behaviours. In addition to yesterday’s event the service has already held dozens of community events including the one I mention here with the Forest Gate W.I. In addition, they are training community champions and organising awareness raising campaigns.

Sadly, of course, all of this is being delivered in the context of this Tory government rapidly shrinking our funds and decimating support across the country such as rape counselling and domestic violence services.

So the news about the NHS recording FGM figures is all good but if the funding and services aren’t available to support those affected it will amount to very little.

FGM is illegal and can land you in prison for 14 years. It doesn’t exist in any world I want to be a part of. We need to dig out the roots and we need the political will, the practical commitment and the essential resources to eradicate for ever a practice that has no place in the 21st Century.

If you would like to receive training or help run a community event please do get in touch with me. If you would like to talk to the service for support they are based in our One Stop Shop for domestic and sexual violence which has a 24 help line on 0845 451 2547.

Seyi Writes…

As much as we would like to it’s not possible to blog on EVERYTHING we do so I thought residents may find it easier to know what I have been up to and where to meet with me. So as an experiment I will list my surgeries dates and time and the events and public meetings I will be attending over the next couple months. I will keep this particular post updated in case anything changes, I hope many of you find this useful. If you would like to invite me or my colleagues (Rachel and Ellie) to your events/meetings or for a coffee please do get in touch: seyi.akiwowo@newham.gov.uk .

Last updated: 06/11/2014

October 

Sunday 12th October, 11am, #TidyOutFlats, Wanstead Flats

Sunday 12th October, 12pm, Globus Art School, Magpie Lodge 

Monday 13th October, 6-7:30pm, Leafletting around Maryland

Wednesday 15th October, 7:30pm, Field Community Centre, Newham Talking Newspaper

Thursday 16th October, 6-8pm, The Gate Library- A celebration of the life of Dr Maya Angelou

Saturday 18th October, 11-:30-1pm, Magpie Lodge, Swan Housing Fun Day

Saturday 18th October, 1:30pm,  Jubliee Pond Woodland Project Big Draw

Monday 20th October, 6-7:30pm, Leafletting around Magpie Park

Thursday 23rd October, 6-7pm, Online/Telephone Resident surgery

Skype ID: CllrSeyiAkiwowo Telephone: 02032874797. Happy to use Google Hangout also.

Saturday 25th October, from 10:30am, The Gate Library, Resident Surgery

Monday 27th October, 6-7:30pm, Leafletting around the west side of the ward (Forest Gate Station)

November

Saturday 1st November, from 10:30am, The Gate Library, Resident Surgery

Saturday 1st November, 12:30-2pm, Walk about, Maryland

Friday 14th November, 7:30pm,  Forest Gate Youth Zone, Listening Session with FG Youth

Friday 21st November, 7pm,  Forest Gate Youth Zone, Listening Session with FG Youth

Wednesday 26th November, 10-11am, The Gate Library Coffee Morning

Thursday 27th November, 6-7pm, Online/Telephone Resident surgery

Skype ID: CllrSeyiAkiwowo Telephone: 02032874797. Happy to use Google Hangout also.

December 

Saturday 6th December, 1-8pm, Woodgrange Market, Forest Gate Christmas Lights

Saturday 13th December, from 10:30am, The Gate Library, Resident Surgery

Sunday 14th December, from 12pm, Forest Gate Youth Zone, The Challenge Network Dragon’s Den event

Seyi Writes….

Attention all Forest Greaters and Dr. Maya Angelou fans!

On 16th October from 6pm, The Gate Library are hosting this fantastic event to celebrate the life of one of the world’s greatest writers and inspirational figures.

There will be artistic presentations of her work, book readings artists and lots more!

Refreshments will also be available so register your attendance ASAP: Glennette.Bowlesdove@newham.gov.uk or call 02033738382/07817385000

I look forward to seeing many of you then!

S:)

Ellie writes…

Over the summer a dozen young people took part in the first year of Stephen Timms‘ Political Summer School. A great programme to give young people an insight into politics. As part of this programme I welcomed them to the Newham Council offices to discuss the role of the council, the job of a councillor and how to run a political campaign.

We had a really fun day and it was great to see them so engaged and interested in politics. The highlights for me were:

– watching their robust (!) conversation with the Mayor and Chief Executive about the varied services the council delivers from housing to youth provision and how you choose priorities in a landscape of shrinking resources

– introducing them to Tulip Sidiq, a Councillor in Camden and Prospective a Parliamentary Candidate for the Labour Party who gave them a valuable insight into running for Office and campaigning locally

– helping them work on designing their own parties with a manifesto and a campaign and communication plan. They used data about their local community to create a party that would appeal to residents in East Ham. They were then put in front of the Dragons (aka Cabinet Members Ken Clark and Forhad Hussain) to present their campaigns. The Equality Party won though the People Party (whose main policy resembled rent caps) came very close.

I hope the young people enjoyed their time with us and left feeling more enthused about getting involved in politics. It is a worrying reflection on politics that most of the students I met before the summer at a local sixth form could not name prominent politicians like Gordon Brown, George Osborne or Nick Clegg. And the kids at a local primary school thought Councillors just dealt with parking (though to be fair it does feel like that sometimes! And it beat the time when I spoke at a primary school about how exciting it is to be a councillor and my slot followed a Farmer who had bought in real animals…)

If you are a local person under 25 and interested in getting involved in the Labour Party please do check out the Newham Young Labour Facebook Page. NYL is an incredibly friendly, vibrant and interesting group which would make you feel very welcome and introduce you to lots of new people including prominent politicians and fun, local activists. It is about to go through a revamp so now is an excellent time to get involved.

Rachel writes…

I mentioned in an earlier post my frustration with the litter left on Wanstead flats, which I felt especially keenly during the (brilliant) #tidyourflats session that Misty organises with the Corporation of London. It seems that once the weather improves, everyone spends more time outdoors. Now, there is of course nothing wrong with this. One of the many lovely things about living so close to Wanstead flats is how well-used it is by the local community. I love seeing families romping around, young people hanging out together, and dog walkers stomping around out there. But when people finish their time outdoors by leaving behind their takeaway boxes, empty drinks bottles and worse, then this becomes a very big problem.

Seyi, Ellie and I have been discussing recently that the problem seems to have become much worse very suddenly. I worry that there is a bit of the ‘broken windows’ theory going on here: once there is litter around then other people notice that the area is untidy, and in turn have less incentive to take away their own litter, feeling it makes no difference and that they have no power to make things better.*

As well as litter, there is a big problem with fly-tipping too. One can only conjecture on the perfect storm of factors which mean that Newham has such a high rate of fly-tipping, but as with the litter, I worry that the high rate of fly-tipping is itself an encouragement to other fly-tippers, who see it as normalised. The Council spends a huge amount of time and resources clearing up rubbish that is dumped on our streets – I report things I see regularly on my phone using the rather brilliant Love Newham app. Again, I am torn here between being pleased by how quickly rubbish is removed, and annoyed that it was left there to begin with.

It seems that a lot of fly-tipping is done along the edge of the flats on Capel Road (and I need to announce a vested interest here, as it’s where I live). Most of it is the usual collection of boxes, mattresses, and other bits. Some of it is mysterious as well: who is regularly dumping suitcases full of broken glass, for example? And why?!

Depressingly, rather than coming up with a magical solution which I can announce here, I instead wanted to write to share my frustration with it, and to assure the increasing numbers of people in Forest Gate who share my pride in our lovely area, and my anger at those people who sully it, that we do want to improve things. Between us, Ellie, Seyi and I are going to meet with the Corporation of London (who are in charge of Wanstead flats). We also want to chat with the police, and with the Newham enforcement team. It may be that there are some regular perpetrators who, with some intelligence and information from local people, can be caught. It may be that between the Corporation, the police, and Newham, we can better co-ordinate the action we are taking.

I have heard that there is a desire to keep Wanstead flats as a ‘wild’ and undeveloped space, and this is partly why there are no litter bins on there, but I would like to discuss this more with the Corporation as I wonder whether the levels of litter mean this needs revisiting. My personal feeling is that a wild space cannot be very inviting or friendly to wildlife when it’s swilling with crisp packets, but I will be the first to admit that I lack understanding and knowledge in this area.

If you are reading this, and you have any specific information about litter or fly-tipping that you think could help to prevent it, then please do contact us and let us know. Some residents have already been in touch via twitter and our surgery, and told us some hotspots, and some particular times when rubbish seems to be left more than others. This information is really valuable and helpful – we do appreciate it and please keep this kind of intelligence coming! We pass it on where possible, and Newham’s enforcement team are very assiduous in following these kind of things up (although it does take time to do properly) so we are hopeful.

Of course I am certain that no readers of this blog would ever dream of leaving anything behind them other than footprints, but it goes without saying that we should all pick up after ourselves. Everything. Cigarette butts, dog poo, chewing gum wrappers…. all of it. I have sometimes pleasantly spoken to people who dropped things, too, “Excuse me, I think this is yours.” But … whilst I am fervently of the view that I want to live in a world where people engage with each other, and people should participate and help each other, and call each other out when necessary… .at the same time, I am never quite sure whether this achieves anything other than making me look sanctimonious and annoying the litter-dropper. Not everyone is comfortable doing this, either.

So. We will meet with the people and organisations who may know more. We can all report rubbish and fly-tipping using the Love Newham app (itunes link here, android link here). We can all turn up to the next #tidyourflats session. And if you have any other ideas for how we could make things better, do let us know.

*It was a resident who came to see me in my surgery who reminded me about this theory. I confess I had read about it before, but it struck me as particularly applicable when she mentioned it. I won’t break her anonymity, but will include a quick hat tip to R for helping me clarify my thoughts!

Seyi writes….

Just before the summer break the Forest Gate Community Neighbourhood Team ran the Street Connections Project on Tower Hamlets Road.  This pilot project is being trialled across Newham, with two areas having already been successfully completed in Hartsworth Road (Plaistow) and Browning Road (Manor Park). The purpose of the project is to improve the look and feel of a chosen street and make this sustainable by encouraging residents to interact and join together to take care of their environment. There were three key stages to the project

• Information
  • Informing residents of the project
  • Connecting residents with their neighbours, Councillors and the Forest Gate Community Neighbourhood team
• Cleaning and cleaning and working together
  • Coming together to decide common challenges on Tower Hamlets Road and how we can move forward as a team.
• Adding value to front gardens

As part of the programme residents received:

• free bulky waste collection dedicated to Tower Hamlets Road;
• free assistance in helping clear front gardens or yard from any unwanted items, overgrowing vegetation etc;
• free assistance in landscaping frontage and help to repave and fix walkways and driveways;
• free assistance in helping residents fix and re-point front fencing and front walls;
• free hanging baskets, containers and plants;
• Groundworks provided residents with free advice, guidance and training on basic front garden maintenance;
• removal of any graffiti.

All resident received an information letter through their letter boxes but to make sure we engaged with all residents on Tower Hamlets Road we decided to knock on the doors of residents we had not yet heard from. There was a particular front garden that was so run down we assumed the house was abandoned but we still knocked. Eventually a frail old man answered the door and was really keen to get involved with the project as best as he and his wife could. To see their neighbours the following week helping to improve his front garden; Groundworks trimming his hedges  and restoring his front wall was really lovely to see.  Those small changes as well as putting up a beautiful hanging basket made such a positive difference to that couple’s life. Another memorable moment the great and productive discussion among residents about their ideas for their street. A funny point that illustrates the heart of Street Connections Project was during the mind mapping discussion residents couldn’t believe they had lived on the same side of the road for 5+ years and have never met each other. The Street Connections Project successfully ended a few weeks ago with a painting afternoon of St James’ Primary School’s railing.

I hope to hear about flourishing relationships on Tower Hamlet Road and the work they have started.

Ellie writes…

I get about three or four cases a week either from someone approaching me in the community or via an email, phone call, or at the surgery we hold in the library on Saturday mornings. I smile and say ‘how can I help?’. What happens next tends to fall into one of these categories:

The Easy Ones: These are ones that I can answer immediately, they are standard questions. E.g. Can I have a larger recycling bin (yes), can you write off my parking ticket (no), is there any money for organising community events (yes!), can we have 24 hour CCTV pointed at my house (really?). There are the people who want to go on the Housing Register or oppose a planning application. The people who want a controlled parking zone. The people who don’t want a controlled parking zone. You get the drift.

The Frustrating Ones: These can take forever to sort out, e.g. where enforcement are busting a gut to catch the person fly tipping, have deployed the CCTV cars, are working during the night, and have almost got enough evidence but I can’t let you know all the work they have done in case it jeopardises the investigation… It could be months until it is sorted and all I can say to you is ‘thanks for passing on the details, we are looking into this and I will get back to you ASAP. ‘ Argh. Some take years to get to the bottom of, recently I met with someone who had previously communicated with Cllr Paul Brickell, and before that Cllr Conor McAuley! But we will get there in the end (or that is what I keep telling myself!)

The Downright Bizarre Ones: These are my favourite. E.g. when someone came to my surgery because he had accidentally fallen in to his recycling bin. Luckily no harm was done.

The Exciting Ones: When I was covering the Mayor’s surgery a few weeks ago there was a great example of this, a brother and sister came to discuss an issue in the community and their idea for solving it. It was a great idea and their passion filled the room, all they needed was some support, perhaps some room in a building. Sorted.

The Tricky Ones: These generally come in Tesco carrier bags. The bag is upended on the table, out flows hundreds of letters generally with the council logo at the top and my heart sinks. This is often linked to housing e.g. among the paperwork is details of their housing application, where they are on the housing register, letters from the doctor and hundreds of photos of damp. They need a lot of patience and unraveling but a real sense of satisfaction and relief for everyone when the issue is resolved.

The Upsetting Ones: Then there are the truly harrowing and upsetting cases, I always have tissues in my bag for surgery and luckily don’t need them very often but there have been people who have visited me to talk about their experience of rape, domestic violence or homelessness. Sometimes I can help but sometimes there is little I can do apart from listen. And sometimes that’s enough.

The Bigger Issue Ones: This is when people come to talk about policy decisions. To be honest this happens very rarely, I can probably count these on one hand. However, there are the ones which are about policy decision but they don’t feel like that to the individual. For example, I get about three people on average at surgery but when the welfare reforms came in last year it wasn’t uncommon to get nine or ten. In addition, sometimes a case will highlight an adverse consequence of our own policy or practice – these result in adapting it to ensure it doesn’t affect anyone else adversely. For example, a woman who fled a violent relationship came to see me because as a result of moving her Housing Benefit claim had become very complicated. We were able to support her and sort it out while also changing the policy so those experiencing DV don’t have to worry about how their change in circumstances might affect their Housing Benefit in the future.

The Ones Where We Won’t Agree: These also tend to be the result of policy decisions. Except these were not adverse consequences but the intended consequences. For example, I had little sympathy for the incredulous guy who came to complain because the council had rehoused the family living in his shed and taken enforcement action against him. These cases don’t happen very often either but if I don’t want to (or can’t) help you then I will be honest with you from the beginning.

And finally, the Ones I Feel Damn Proud About: These often start off as Upsetting Ones. They are the few cases that I will never forget, where I know that I have changed that individual or family’s life for the better. They will never leave me and they keep me going through all the others.

Not everything we can solve, some of it we can solve together, some of it is signposting to a more helpful organisation, and some of it is being honest about what we can achieve and what we can’t. But most of them are small things which can easily be sorted making life a little easier for the resident.

So, do you have any issues? And if so, how can we help? 🙂

Rachel writes…

On Monday this week I was invited to attend a dinner to celebrate the volunteers and community groups who together ran RamadanFM, which was broadcast during Ramadan throughout Forest Gate and East London. A genuine community radio station, run by volunteers most of whom had not been involved in radio before, it was a great achievement to run a station with a huge variety of programmes during a month when the participants were fasting during daylight hours. And from the number of people attending the event it seemed that all of those involved had turned out for an evening’s celebration: remembering the shows, thanking participants and supporters, and enjoying food together.

I knew a little about RamadanFM, largely through the facebook updates of my friend and Labour colleague Shagufta Nasreen. I met Shagufta through the West Ham Labour Women’s Forum, and she is a constant source of inspiration for me: softly spoken, gracious and unfailingly polite, but with a steely core of determination to do right, and seemingly boundless energy which she dedicates to the community around her and helping to improve people’s lives. In addition to her community work, she was a DJ during the month of Ramadan, co-presenting the political programme on RamadanFM, and somehow managing this alongside her family commitments, too!

The evening was an eye-opening event which gave me renewed respect for the enthusiasm, faith and determination of all the people who came together to run a community radio station. As well as thanking many of those who took part, we all heard more about the work done by the Minhaj Welfare Foundation, which does charity work all over the world, particularly focussing on access to education and healthcare.

Being at the event made me appreciate all over again some of the great things about living in Forest Gate: primarily the cultural diversity and the people. There was such warmth in the room (and not just from the hot weather or the delicious food). Everyone there was so welcoming to everyone: the councillors who came along, the various guests, the children who sat at the tables alongside their families.

This year I have somehow felt part of Ramadan in a way I haven’t before. I am always aware of Ramadan – in previous years this was largely through feeling sympathetic for my neighbours as they fasted through the hottest part of the year! But this year I thought a lot about what it must mean to devote a month to charity, to faith, to fasting and prayer. I think being a part of the ‘Big Iftar’ event that we attended after a Labour meeting contributed to this. Sharing Iftar with people from all different backgrounds and faiths was a lovely experience. It was very moving then, as it was on Monday, to feel people around me sharing the spirit of their religion in such a friendly and open way.

So a huge thank you to RamadanFM for extending such a generous invitation to me and my colleagues. And I wish all those involved all the best in their future efforts – I am certain we will be hearing more from them.

(This picture is a montage which includes some of the canvassing sessions we held during the run-up to the election in May this year)

Rachel writes…

Last Saturday Ellie, Seyi and I met up in the warmth of this current heatwave, and made our way down Field Road, knocking on doors, meeting residents, and asking them for their views. Several people I know expressed surprise when I said we were out canvassing again, so I thought I would write a quick blog post about doorknocking and why we do it.

The first thing that surprised me when I started canvassing was that it’s not actually about convincing people to vote. Obviously if people ask questions about what Labour does, locally or nationally, I will always pipe up with information, and hope that what I tell them will convince them to vote for us. Sometimes I do leave a house with a strong impression that they will vote Labour, because of the things I’ve pointed out that we are committed to. But in fact canvassing is about more than that, and for me it’s really about capturing voting intentions, about meeting residents, and about understanding the ward better.

When I was selected as a new candidate, even though I live in Forest Gate North, I still found that our regular canvassing sessions were invaluable to me in getting to know the ward better.  Unsurprisingly, given my famous lack of sense of direction, I still wouldn’t exactly say I know the place backwards. But going up and down streets, both door knocking and delivering leaflets, has definitely increased my knowledge of the geography of the ward, and improved it immeasurably. Now, as local councillors, this can only be a good thing.

Talking to residents about their experience of living in Forest Gate North also helps with our knowledge of the ward. We often ask residents if they have any questions, comments or concerns, or simply ask them about what their experience is of living where they do. And despite what people say about Londoners, many people are keen to chat and share their thoughts. People tell us about their relationships with neighbours, how long they’ve been where they live, what they think about local services, and more. Parking often comes up. Concerns about litter and fly-tipping are another common area for discussion. This helps us to understand how the ward works, road by road, through the eyes of the residents who live here.

Of course it’s not just a case of listening and learning when resident tell us about things they would like to be improved. Where we can help, we pass this on to colleagues in or outside the Council, and let the resident know what can be done. Although we do hold a weekly surgery in the Gate Library on Saturday mornings, picking up casework in this way on the doorstep is a great way to hear from residents who might not normally contact us. Which is another reason to keep donning comfortable shoes, picking up the clipboard, and getting out and knocking on doors.

I also think  – and this is just my personal opinion –  that once selected as a Labour candidate, especially in Newham where we are so fortunate that our support base has traditionally been strong, it is actively a good thing that you are expected to get out, regularly, and have a regular commitment of canvassing sessions to complete. Without wanting to sound sanctimonious, being a candidate is a privilege, and one that needs to be earned, and that you need to keep working for, and not take for granted. Nothing is certain. So I think the strong focus on canvassing and campaigning and working as part of the agreement when you’re selected feels right to me.

Of course, once an election is approaching, then canvassing becomes a vital way of tracking voting intentions. Depending on how a conversation on the doorstep goes, we will normally end by asking if the resident is normally a Labour voter. (Sometimes this isn’t necessary – sometimes someone will open the door, see our leaflet or rosette and immediately reassure us that they are a supporter! Equally, other people make their voting intentions known very clearly in less positive ways…. ) These voting intentions are recorded so that we can use them locally, by encouraging people who are Labour voters to vote on polling day, and are also fed into national data on voting intentions and patterns of voting.

Door knocking is a rewarding and interesting way of interacting with residents and hearing their ideas. But it is very labour intensive and time-consuming. Meaning that the only way to ensure we get around all the ward is to keep going: to keep canvassing and knocking and talking. This means we can talk to as many residents as possible, and not just restrict ourselves to the relatively small number who we can speak to in the run-up to an election.

Which is a very long-winded way of saying – THAT is why, on a hot Saturday when most people were sitting at home enjoying the weather, Ellie, Seyi and I were instead walking up and down Field Road. It was a good session, actually. And not long now until the General Election, either….

Rachel

So many lovely summer community events, so little time #forestgateproblems

— Rachel Tripp (@rectripp) July 13, 2014

Rachel writes…

Probably not the biggest problem in the world, but last weekend was stuffed full of community events. Busy, tiring, encouraging, interesting – and all at once. Plus a house full with my inlaws visiting for the weekend.

On Saturday we all went to Woodgrange Infants School fete, which is the school where my two eldest girls go and also where I am Chair of Governors. I know that there was a question mark over whether we could hold a fete this year, as the school – like many others in Newham – is expanding from three to four form entry. This is in response to the birth rate and the numbers of children moving here, and is a massive programme of expansion. Locally, here in Forest Gate as elsewhere this translates into exciting new facilities, but also building work, deliveries, and all the disruption that goes with it. At Woodgrange, we have lost some of our playground to the new classrooms but gained a fantastic new woodland play area.

I need not have worried. The fete was a wonderful success, with the decidedly changeable forecast translating into hot sun, and the playground was full of families enjoying themselves on the bouncy castle, eating cakes, throwing sponges and ping pong balls, having their faces painted, and much more.

On Sunday, I nipped across the road to Wanstead Flats to join ‘Tidy Our Flats’ for some litter picking. Started by the indefatiguable Misty, #tidyourflats is an opportunity for all the community to come together to improve this much-loved green space. Once a month, Misty gathers us all together, supported by the Corporation of London who provide litter picks, gloves, and bags, and take away what’s collected.

I am torn about the experience of picking up litter on the Flats. On the one hand, it feels incrementally, undeniably positive. Unlike so much of the kind of work I do, it is physical and measurable. ‘One bag of litter collected’. It has weight and substance. It is also brilliant to see so many local people out and caring for our beautiful green space. I saw plenty of people I know, and met some new ones, too. Although I couldn’t make it, there was a community barbeque afterwards, to thank participants. This was supported by a Let’s Get the Party Started grant from the Council, and looked like a glorious way of enjoying the weather, good food, and good company.

On the other hand… the Flats were FILTHY. Littered, literally, with the debris of thoughtless, stupid people who had obviously enjoyed the green peace enough to bring their takeaways over the road but seemed to have suddenly taken leave of rational thought once they’d finished their food and drink. What goes through these people’s minds? I muttered to myself as I picked up empty soft drink bottles, empty chicken boxes, and worse. Who do they think is going to pick this up after them? I thought, angrily.

There are no answers to this. Except, of course, to scrupulously not drop litter myself, and to teach my girls not to do so. But this is not really an answer at all, and it all makes me feel very despondent sometimes.

But there was no time to fall into a slough of despond. It was time to cover myself and all the girls in sun cream, and head off to the Mayor’s Newham Show. I spent some time in the Community Neighbourhoods tent, with the enjoyable task of handing out balloons to children, pinning on badges, and chatting to people about events and groups in their local areas. Then I headed off to enjoy the atmosphere with the girls: watching them splash and run about at the beach area, and tucking into freshly cooked and sugared doughnuts being the main highlights. It was amazing to watch the event now that I have been elected, thinking about what it says about Newham that so many people from different backgrounds all come together for the weekend to enjoy themselves, to find out more about what the borough has to offer, and to learn about how they can contribute to it.

Then, exhausted, happy, lightly sunned, and very slightly dehydrated, we all headed back home again. A packed weekend of community events. As a new councillor, a perfect, if tiring combination of work and play.