Newham councillors have voted to change the future of community neighbourhood leadership, opting for greater democratic representation and local accountability.
A motion calling for a revised approach to appointing neighbourhood leads was carried at a council meeting on Monday, October 5, 2026. The motion, proposed by Councillor Mehmood Mirza and seconded by Councillor Kelly Drake, argued that leadership arrangements should better reflect the democratic composition of wards within each neighbourhood.
Under the new model, if one political group holds a majority of councillor seats in a neighbourhood, their councillors will nominate the neighbourhood lead. In areas where no single group has a majority, all councillors representing that neighbourhood will be invited to agree or nominate a lead through a transparent local process. The motion specifies that participation in these roles should not be compulsory and that neighbourhood leads must complement, not circumvent, the work of ward councillors. Residents will retain the ability to engage directly with their elected ward councillors, and neighbourhood leads will not become a mandatory gateway to council services, except where legally required.
During the debate, Councillor Mirza highlighted that Newham is no longer a one-party borough, with 40 opposition councillors elected in May, representing a significant mandate. He argued that the previous model, which would have seen all eight community neighbourhoods led by Labour councillors even in areas with opposition representation, was undemocratic.
Councillor Drake echoed these concerns, suggesting a lack of awareness or willingness from the administration to adapt to the council's new make-up. She described the previous model as top-down and imposed without consultation.
Countering these points, Councillor Simon Rush, speaking in favour of the administration, stated that the Mayor has an executive mandate from residents to make appointments. He suggested that residents are more concerned with practical issues such as housing and cleaner streets than with the review of neighbourhood arrangements. He elaborated that residents typically raise concerns about housing, antisocial behaviour, cleaner streets, safer neighbourhoods,
rather than the specifics of community neighbourhood reviews.
Councillor Lakmini Shah, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Communities, confirmed her opposition to the motion. She stated that the Mayor has the power to appoint individuals as he sees fit and that the community neighbourhoods model was a manifesto promise being delivered. She also noted that many cabinet members and deputies were not receiving Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs).
The motion was ultimately carried with 34 votes in favour, 0 against, and 22 abstentions.
This change aligns with Mayor Hussain's manifesto commitment to community neighbourhoods, which involved appointing lead members into neighbourhoods to work with councillors and residents on developing community plans. The original intention was to facilitate resident engagement and neighbourhood development.
The motion can be found in the Supplementary Agenda 2 Answers to Public and Member Questions.