West Ham Labour Party AGM 2012

Tonight was the Annual General Meeting of West Ham Labour Party. The Party Rooms in Stratford were packed with delegates from all our wards, trade union affiliates and socialist societies.

Picture left (and congratulations) is of our new Chair, Charlene McLean, seen here promoting the TUC March in March last year.

The Party Rooms themselves were unrecognisable since they had been freshly painted and re-carpeted. We are hiring the rooms out to a local History society who will be using it as a special museum during the Olympics (I'll post full details another time).

I did ask the outgoing Chair, Conor McAuley, at the beginning of the AGM if I could tweet during the meeting and he said there is nothing he can do to stop people texting or tweeting what was going on. I've used these tweets to make this post.

Conor is stepping down as Chair because he felt after 6 years it was time to give someone younger (and skip a generation) the chance to take positions of responsibility in the local Party. He was given a vote of thanks and applause for his long service to the Party as Chair.

During reports we learnt that membership has increased by 128 since the last AGM. Also that during the last election we had delivered the Labour vote (alas not enough to elect Ken).

I will post full details on the elections when I have checked I have got everything right. I stepped down from Agent/ Campaigner Co-ordinator since I have completely over stretched myself and the poisoned chalice (a term that all agents from all parties will recognise) has passed to Gordon Miller! I am still a trade union rep on the General and Executive Committee (for my sins).

During AOB the Keir Hardie tour next week was plugged and the coming by election in Wanstead and Leyton. Afterwards, off to the Golden Grove pub for more politics and of course lots of gossip.

Newham Annual Council Meeting 2012

Last night (Thursday 17 May) was the London Borough of Newham Annual Council meeting. It was held in our historic Stratford Town Hall.

It opened with live classical music from some of the 7000 Newham Primary school pupils who had benefited from the Council's "Every Child a Musician" programme" followed by the formal Council business.

This included a motion to better regulate the blight of Betting Shops (bookies) on our High Streets moved by Cllr Neil Wilson (and seconded by myself). Then speeches by Sir Robin Wales, our Executive Mayor, honouring Cllr Alec Kellaway (the Chair of our Pensions Committee) for his 25 years of service and Cllr Conor MacAuley for his 30 years!

The Newham Young Mayor and the (Old) Mayor Sir Robin Wales both gave speeches. Robin reminded us there was only 71 days before the start of the London Olympics and how the eyes of the world will be on Newham. 

I was really pleased that the meeting also honoured all those Newham Residents who had been nominated for Inspiring Peoples Awards.  Kim Stevens, who is one of the tireless volunteers who runs the Vicarage Lane Community centre in West Ham ward (see Kim in collage bottom right) was so nominated and she had been honoured with tickets to the Olympics 100m Sprint Mens final! Well done Kim and well deserved for all your hard work to the local community.

Of course Keir Hardie (bottom left) the first ever Labour MP elected in this same Town Hall for West Ham South on the 4th July 1892 as ever kept a careful eye on events.