Announcing Cabinet appointments, Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE said:
“The scale of the homelessness and Temporary Accommodation crisis that Newham faces is exceptional. I make no apology in fulfilling our legal duties to prevent people ending up on the streets. Cllr Amar Virdee will now lead the Council’s response to the temporary accommodation crisis, working with Council officers and partners on how we manage both demand and costs, drawing on his experience working with residents, community groups and partners on community safety and crime in his advocacy for tenants and renters’ rights.
“I’m also delighted to appoint Cllr Blossom Young to my Cabinet with specific responsibility for overseeing the Council’s improvement programme following last week’s shocking C4 verdict by the Regulator of Social Housing on the state of the Council’s housing services. Blossom brings a wealth of real-world experience in driving people inspired and people enabling approaches in the social housing sector. Our improvement plan must win the confidence of the Regulator and crucially our tenants for whom we are demanding rapid improvements in housing services that are there to serve them, and serve them well.”
Cllr Amar Virdee, Cabinet Lead for Housing Needs, Homelessness and Private Rented Sector said:
“The cost of Newham’s Temporary Accommodation bill is extortionate, and so is the human cost for those caught up in this housing market failure, especially families with children. For their sakes we must continue to strive in terms of how we manage our response to the crisis, and look at ways which we can innovate and set best practise for other councils to follow.”
Cllr Blossom Young, Cabinet Lead for Housing Landlord and Tenant Experience Improvement said:
“The Social Housing Regulator’s report identifies a clear need to urgently improve the way the Council manages its housing stock so that our tenants have absolute confidence in the safety of their homes, and in the Council’s ability to fulfil its obligations as a landlord. I’m humbled to have been appointed to oversee such an important priority for Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz and for our Newham residents.
“A key part of our improvement journey must be overhauling the experience residents have when dealing with the Council in reporting repairs or any aspect of being a tenant. I want a housing service that is open and transparent and which always treats residents with empathy, dignity and respect; and where we strive for the highest standards, getting things right first time. Residents must be at the heart of our improvement journey and I look forward to hearing from them and working with them over the coming months.”
Thanking Cllr Shaban Mohammed for his four years of service on the Cabinet, Mayor Fiaz said:
“Cllr Mohammed has been impassioned about making the changes and improvements we all want to see in our housing services for our residents. While it didn’t happen as fast and as deep has he had hoped, in light of last week’s Regulator judgement.
“In particular, I want to thank him for his grace and for the passion he has always shown in wanting to do the best for the residents he serves in Canning Town North and across Newham.”
