Forest Gate North – Rachel Tripp's councillor blog

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.

Ellie writes…

The best bit about being a Councillor is working with inspiring, proactive residents making a difference in our community. And we aren’t short of them in Forest Gate. It is always a pleasure to be able to support the residents who organise the fabulous Forest Gate Festival (is this its 11th or 12th year?). And again this year the sun shone on a packed Osborne Road. Highlights for me included the tea dance, the veggie noodles and Seyi losing at Connect Four (see pic)!

Another passionate group of residents are those setting up the Forest Gate Community Garden. Seyi and I popped along to their steering group meeting last week to discuss where they have got too and next steps. I don’t understand nearly enough about gardening to follow most of the conversation but I do understand that a five year lease has now been granted by the Council and I am looking forward to the site visit next week. In the meantime keep an eye out on the corner of Sebert and Woodgrange Rd outside CoffeE7 next Monday, July 7th – lots of fun to be had (*spoiler alert*)!

Finally, I had the pleasure of chairing an incredibly powerful event which the Forest Gate Women’s Institute held with the Council’s Domestic Violence team. The focus of the meeting was on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) prevention. FGM has been in the news a lot recently and the Council now funds a One Stop Shop and 24-hour phone line to ensure no one has to suffer in silence. This single point of contact means a range of services are working together to provide joined-up, practical support for those experiencing domestic violence, including FGM. The phone line, run by staff and amazing volunteers, can be reached on 0845 451 2547. You can hear one of our amazing caseworkers speaking on the radio this week here (from 01:43:00).

Over 50 members of the WI, local residents, teachers, health workers, and community workers made actions plans about what they were going to do at work and in the community to promote the service and tackle the problem.

Much more needs to be done to understand the extent of the issue, the causes and the solutions but this is a great start to begin to tackle this inhumane practice and it was great to see the WI leading on this locally.

Rachel writes…

When we were out doorknocking in preparation for the election, one of the things that consistently came up on the doorstep was parking. Particularly on Sebert Road, residents told us they were unhappy that they couldn’t park near their houses.

Generally, I am sorry to say that I learnt quite early on to start conversations about parking by saying, with a smile, “The thing about parking is that no one is happy. People who live in a place where parking is restricted aren’t happy. People who live in a place where it’s not restricted aren’t happy. No one is happy.” Whilst this sounds a bit pessimistic and defestist, I find this tends to break the ice, we both have a short dark laugh about how difficult parking is, and we can then explore the specific issue they are raising properly.

Now, the Council is consulting on creating a new Resident Parking Zone (RPZ)  in Forest Gate North. The proposed area includes Sebert Road, Barwick Road and Horace Road, the early (Western-most) part of Capel Road.

An RPZ means restricting parking during certain hours to those who live there. If there is a problem in a road where people who do not live there are parking there, an RPZ can be a good solution. You have probably noticed that parking is often restricted near train stations, for example, to try to prevent people from parking up for the day, then hopping on the train for their commute. If you live within a RPZ you can apply for a resident’s permit, which you display in your car. People who visit you and want to park in the zone will need to display visitors’ permits, which you can obtain and give to them. People who do not live on your road cannot park there, which should make it easier for residents to park.

Whilst this all may sound positive, RPZs can be controversial and difficult to get right. Whilst the first permit is free, there are charges for subsequent permits, which means an RPZ may be a less attractive option if your household has more than one car. You may find it inconvenient to give visitors permits, or some people object entirely to having to display a permit to park outside their home. Another important factor is the ‘knock-on’ effect that an RPZ has on neighbouring roads. Sometimes parking problems are simply transferred from one road to the next, which then requests its own RPZ and in turn moves the problem on to the next road. There is no easy answer to this.

Consultation packs went out to all those who live in the area over the weekend, and have already caused some discussion (if you haven’t received one, please email forestgaterpz@newham.gov.uk with your name and address to ask for one). I knew this was going to be an early baptism of fire into Council business when I had two separate people collar me to ask me about it on the school run on Monday!

The most important thing to bear in mind is that this is a genuine consultation. The Council has no particular position on RPZs: they are created where enough residents want them, and not created where there isn’t the desire for them. So if you have strong feelings about the proposal, either way, this is your chance to respond and have your views heard.

The corollary to this is that at the end, whatever is decided, there are strong opinions on each side, so not everyone will be happy. But this is your chance to have your say. Do chat to me, or to Ellie or Seyi if you see us. But please also make sure you respond to the consultation and say what you want to happen.

I am sure there will be more to say, and further blog posts on this!

For now, good night.