Sir Robin has named his new team of Cabinet members, Mayoral Advisers and Community Lead Councillors. Fully 24 out of the 60 councillors have some form of ‘special responsibility’ for which they will receive an additional allowance. So almost half the council is on the mayoral payroll.
There have been a few notable changes, indicating those whose career prospects are currently on the up.
Cllr Forhad Hussain has enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks and is clearly now one of Sir Robin’s trusted inner circle. He is taking over the Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour portfolio previously held by Unmesh Desai. Cllr Hussain will continue to serve as deputy cabinet lead for Building Communities, working with Cllr Ken Clark, but he is giving up the role of community lead councillor for Plaistow.
That position will be taken up by Cllr Hanif Abdulmuhit, who also retains his positions as Mayoral Advisor – Building Communities (Adult Care Integration) and community lead for Green Street.
Just two years after being elected to council Forest Gate North’s Rachel Tripp joins the Cabinet, with responsibility for equalities. I hope that, unlike her predecessor in this role, she is going to be paid for it. Rachel will also continue to be Forest Gate’s lead councillor.
Cllr Mas Patel (Forest Gate South) continues as Mayoral Advisor – Building Communities (Mental Health Care Integration) and community lead for Stratford and West Ham. He’s getting some more time (and money, obviously) to spend on integrating mental health care.
Likewise Idris Ibrahim is getting a bump in his allowance. He’ll be devoting additional time to his role as Mayoral Advisor – Building Communities (Early Years Integration) while remaining community lead for Custom House and Canning Town. He will be supported on Early Years work by Salim Patel, who also gets some extra bunce on top of his allowance for being Manor Park’s lead councillor.
The exceptionally loyal Cllr Tahmina Rahman has finally been rewarded with a brand new job – as Mayoral Advisor for New Media. It will be interesting to see what the job description says (although I won’t be holding my breath waiting for it to be published), but Newham has traditionally seen communications as a one-way process. If she can persuade Sir Robin that digital offers opportunities to engage with residents rather than just shout at them she will have earned her money.
Finally, Cllr Joy Laguda. She is the chair of council, a position to which she is elected by councillors and requires her to be entirely independent of the executive. But Sir Robin is having none of that:
Whilst rules drawn up by out-of-touch Westminster politicians prohibit me from appointing Joy to the Cabinet, she has a wealth of knowledge about adult safeguarding which I am keen to draw upon to benefit residents. I am therefore giving her the honorary title of Associate Cabinet Member, and will leave a Cabinet post vacant to reflect this. There is no additional payment associated with this role. Her role as Chair of Council and Civic Lead is separate to this appointment.
Breathtaking.
The full list of Sir Robin’s appointments:
Mayor
- Sir Robin Wales
Cabinet
- Cllr Lester Hudson: Deputy Mayor, Finance, oneSource, Project Delivery and Commercial Opportunities
- Cllr Ken Clark: Building Communities, Public Affairs, Regeneration and Planning
- Cllr Frances Clarke: Financial Inclusion and Health Promotion
- Cllr Forhad Hussain: Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour, Building Communities (Deputy)
- Cllr Rev. Quintin Peppiatt: Children and Young People (Statutory Lead Member for Children’s Services, and Children’s Safeguarding)*
- Cllr Lakmini Shah: Children’s Safeguarding (Deputy), Domestic Violence
- Cllr Rachel Tripp: Equalities
Mayoral Advisers
- Cllr Joy Laguda: Chair of Council (appointed by full Council), Civic Lead, Adult Safeguarding, and Associate Cabinet Member
- Cllr Hanif Abdulmuhit: Building Communities – Adult Care Integration
- Cllr Andrew Baikie: Housing
- Cllr David Christie: Small Business Programme and Transformation
- Cllr Ian Corbett: Environment and Leisure
- Cllr Richard Crawford: Resident Experience
- Cllr Clive Furness: Adults and Health (Lead Member for Adults’ Services)
- Cllr Idris Ibrahim: Building Communities – Early Years Integration
- Cllr Julianne Marriott: Regeneration
- Cllr Mas Patel: Building Communities – Mental Health Integration
- Cllr Salim Patel: Building Communities – Early Years Integration
- Cllr Terry Paul: Skills and Adult Learning
- Cllr Tahmina Rahman: New Media
Community Lead Councillors
- Cllr Hanif Abdulmuhit: Green Street and Plaistow
- Cllr Ayesha Chowdhury: Beckton
- Cllr Rev. Ann Easter: East Ham
- Cllr Idris Ibrahim: Custom House and Canning Town
- Cllr Patrick Murphy: Royal Docks
- Cllr Mas Patel: Stratford and West Ham
- Cllr Salim Patel: Manor Park
- Cllr Rachel Tripp: Forest Gate
* Since 2014 Cllr Peppiatt has chosen not to receive a special responsibility allowance
forestgatedotnet 
frances clark after the mayor and others giving young ellie a pasting why would you take anything off them? crawford… resident experience.. the mind boggles what that is all about ? hudson.. no comment.. cabinet member for shooting millions in cold blood .thats the way to control them pay them .
Which ones are landlords in Newham, in other London boroughs, or outside London?
which ones live in the borough .
Does his name being with M and end with Patel
Be interesting to know what these 24 are costing us in total…
Based on previous years, the total spend on councillor allowances is a bit over £1.2 million. About half is basic allowances paid to all councillors and half is SRAs.
1.2 million newham lottery council what a winner ,and you dont have to buy a ticket
Everyone remember that around 5% of these allowances is then paid directly to the Labour Party, which in turn pays for a full time officer and a campaign fund. When you include councillor allowances that means that the state is funding the Labour Party in Newham to the tune of a quarter of a million every 4 years. Plus of course the coat of the Newham mag which serves as a propaganda vehicle. I know it is old news but such funding is one of the reasons why other political groups find it so difficult to mount a challenge.
When will someone else get a chance, Wales is a dictator who is keeping the using council tax payers money to stay in power, the guys a joke. l am amazed we dont have a lead member for bum scratching mind you would need two people for that post judging by the size of HUDSON backside, because that what these jokers do NOTHING. When do you see any lead members doing anything in there ward you DONT. Cllr Idris Ibrahim is a waste of space, a bake bean has more intelligence, out of depth, Cllr Mas Patel, Cllr Salim Patel, are the same and are there to keep indian gujarati vote for Wales. Look at Frances Clarke chooses money over the humilation dished out to daugher Ellie, if that was me l would be giving wales a kicking by now, these people have no shame.
Maybe the culture secetary needs to look in to party funding, within the Newham Council this seems like a breach of Party funding, talking of the Newham Mag when is it going to stop being published. Are we going to get the thugs out in Mayors show full force to stop Newham residents protesting against the Wales regime more tax payer money wasted.
Political Party funding from councillor allowances is entirely legal and happens across the country. Lib Dems levy a similar amount, and the Tories ask for voluntary contributions, which are anything but voluntary. There is no desire in Westminster to change any of this as all the parties benefit. Its just that in Newham, and other places where there is an elected Mayor and where all the councillors are from the same political party the effect on local politics is more profound. In fact all the parties will argue that the contributions are voluntary but if you don’t contribute, you don’t get selected. The system stinks but don’t expect it to change any time soon.
Political Party funding from councillor allowances my be legal, but the cabinet members all don’t like paying any dues they just like the free money handed out, they are made to by Wales. Talking about the Newham Mag the last l heard that newham council when to court and “said that not printing” the propaganda mag breached human rights of residents and lost the case. Who wants to see Wales ugly mug every week, the guy loves himself. l am a member in Canning Town south and Cllr Idris Ibrahim as lead member is useless who has no power, as the prevoius poster said, and is out of his depth.