Havering’s Revolution ~ Is Keith Prince Superman?

For Havering’s Reform party to succeed, Keith Prince needs to be ‘Superman’. Havering is bankrupt. It faces financial pressures which are horrifying. Keith will have to the square the circle that is Reform’s desire for radical change and the pressures preventing change. Nonetheless:

Keith’s ‘Revolution’ gives him (1) opportunities as well as (2) headaches

(1) Revolutions demand Radical change, and

(2) Central government’s iron fist over local finance.

Opportunities

What do Reform councillors “Really, really want?1 Keith knows Farage’s motormouth slogans are nonsense. Havering can’t ‘Stop the Boats”.  Keith can’t magic Havering out of London to fulfil the ludicrous ‘Hexit’ policy. And, Havering’s Reform councillors can’t vote Starmer out of Downing Street.

Keith must keep his 36 new councillors on board. He must keep thousands of Reform voters on board. What is he going to do? Keith is a class act. He’s been a councillor since 1990. He’s also a senior member of the GLA. This means he knows Mayor Khan very well and politics is the art of adroit compromises. Keith and Mayor Khan might not love each other but they can cooperate. Always assuming it works for all concerned.

Doing what is doable is the centrepiece of political agendas. Keith needs cheap, flashy policies that hit the button. Reform voters like flags. Why not have a flag budget for public buildings like libraries? This would be mocked but would work if the book budget was significantly increased. £50,000 should be enough. Reform vigorously opposed library closures and this would be a statement of difference.

The kiss of electoral death is,

‘Everything is different but nothing has changed.’

Headaches

Havering is bankrupt. HRA borrowed £100m+ to ‘Balance’ the books. That is as stupid as it sounds. But if the government don’t forgive the debt, the taxi meter is clicking along at 6% p.a., which is compounded. This could destroy Keith’s ambitions for a Reform revolution.

The intractable problem is the budget for Adult and Children’s Services. Both are demand led, making for budget instability. Someone is going to have to be very clever to cope with this. And this takes us to the principal headache for Keith.

Inexperienced councillors! Keith’s biggest fear is that his new team is ‘captured’ by officers who impose (ever so nicely) their agenda. His experience gives him a fighting chance of being able to spot talent. People willing to work hard, command detail and do politics.

The Revolution begins….

Note

1 really really want lyrics – Search Amazingly the lyrics of this song reveal Keith’s problem.

Addendum: Turnout increased in every single ward

• Beam Park – 32.63% (2022: 30.8%)

• Cranham – 54.49% (40.83%) (HRA win)

• Elm Park – 47.56% (35.51%)

• Emerson Park – 52.7% (41.11%)

• Gooshays – 35.2% (23.46%)

• Hacton – 51.23% (41.2%)

• Harold Wood – 48.19% (35.6%)

• Havering-atte-Bower – 42.14% (29.16%)

• Heaton – 32.2% (lowest – Reform win) (23.79%)

• Hylands & Harrow Lodge – 50.81% (37.83%)

• Marshalls and Rise Park – 51.8% (41.13)

• Mawneys – 45.03% (33.56)

• Rainham & Wennington – 44.97% (35.12%)

• Rush Green – 39.95% (32.84%)

• South Hornchurch – 42.6% (31.8%)

• Squirrels Heath – 49.78% (38.54%)

• St Alban’s – 43.95% (36.84%)

• St Andrew’s – 50.52% (38.98%)

• St Edward’s – 42.32% (32.87)

• Upminster – 56% (highest – HRA win) (42.3%)

Source Local Election 2026 Results | London Borough of Havering and Local Elections 2022: Havering Council live results | London Borough of Havering

Havering’s Councillors make a difference: Podcast

Havering councillors make a difference – YouTube

HRA say that they are non-political but it is impossible to run a council without making political choices. This podcast discusses the 30 minute free period for Hornchurch and Upminster. It also looks at the previous Conservative Administration, 2018-22, and their decisions.

The podcast is 3 minutes long

Havering’s Council Election, May 7th 2026

Discussion

Between 2022-26 the Conservatives collapsed after numerous defections. The principal beneficiaries were the HRA Administration. Three Conservatives joined Reform UK at the end of the period.

Reform could matter in 2026. The Green party existed in 2022 but was disregarded. That changed after their recent parliamentary victory. They aren’t as well organised as Reform but might do well and will certainly split the vote.

Electors can choose from a large number of candidates and parties. For example, HRA isn’t a single party, it’s an umbrella organisation.1 There are Conservatives, Greens, Labour, Independent RAs, and Reform standing as political parties. There are 302 candidates for 55 seats.

Low turnouts make elections a lottery. Voting is normally based on name recognition, or the first initial of the surname, or scattergun, or selection of a party. Gooshays in 2022 had a turnout of 23.46%.2 Winning literally depended on marginal decisions. In 2026 Gooshays has 20 candidates for three seats.

Conclusion

Havering traditionally has Minority Administrations. It’s a certainty to happen once more in 2026. But….Even certainties lose.

Addendum: Wards, sitting councillors and additional candidates

Beam Park (2 ward councillors) ~ Two Labour councillors plus 9 (more candidates)

Cranham (3) ~ Two HRA councillors plus 14

Elm Park (3) ~ Two HRA councillors plus 14

Emerson Park (2) ~ 11 (no councillors standing)

Gooshays (3) ~ One Labour; One HRA councillor plus 18

Hacton (2) ~ One HRA councillor plus 10

Harold Wood (3) ~ Three East Havering RA councillors plus 15

Havering-Atte-Bower (3) ~ One HRA councillor plus 16

Heaton (3) ~ Two Labour councilors plus 14

Hylands and Harrow Lodge (3) ~ One HRA councillor plus 14

Marshalls and Rise Park (3) ~ Two HRA; One Reform councillor plus 13

Mawneys (3) ~ Three Conservative councillors plus 13

Rainham and Wennington (3) ~ One HRA councillor plus 15

Rush Green and Crowlands (3) ~ Two Conservatives plus 14

South Hornchurch (2) ~ Two HRA councillors plus 10

Squirrels Heath (3) ~ One Conservative; One Reform councillor plus 15

St Albans (2) ~ One Conservative; One Labour councillor plus 9

St Andrews (3) ~ One HRA councillor plus 15

St Edwards (3) ~ 16 (No councillors standing)

Upminster (3) ~ Two HRA councillors plus 14

Three councillors are standing for wards that they didn’t represent 2022-6

Notes

1 Two cabinet members voted against HRA policy without resigning for example.

2 Local Elections 2022: Havering Council live results | London Borough of Havering

Andrew Rosindell ~ Parting is such sweet sorrow

Margaret Thatcher House1 83 days AFTER Andrew defected to Reform

Q1) Are the Conservatives hoping Andrew will return to save them on May 7th?

Or,

Q2) Are they too broke to remove Andrew’s legacy?

Addendum: Evicted from Margaret Thatcher House

Andrew lost his legal bid to retain his office2 in Margaret Thatcher House BUT amazingly the House of Commons says nothing has changed:

Constituency office

Margaret Thatcher House
85 Western Road
Romford
RM1 3LS

Notes

1 This is Conservative Party Head Quarters. Photos taken on 7th April 2026

2 Source Contact information for Andrew Rosindell – MPs and Lords – UK Parliament Accessed 8th April 2026

Havering’s Council Meeting, 18th March 2026

Question Time (QT)1

Question one2 was a political question! Michael White (25 minutes) asked about Havering joining Essex. He was digging out Andrew Rosindell and his Reform UK party.Apart from flags, Andrew is obsessed by the ‘Evil Empire’ that is London. Ray Morgon eagerly joined in, listing the inescapable advantages that the GLA brings Havering. Michael concluded by saying that leaving London was “a risk too far”. Ray was only too pleased to agree.

QT went downhill after this

Questions 3 and 6 were identical (33 and 39). Barry Mugglestone realised that giving identical answers was ridiculous. It didn’t stop him.3 Irony isn’t Barry’s strong suit.  He likes being the centre of attention at whatever cost to his dignity.

There were eleven questions for Barry out of 15. QT is a golden opportunity for councillors, but they don’t use it to any good purpose. Red hot topics are ignored. The East Havering Data Centre was unquestioned even though the three HRA ward councillors oppose it. This includes two councillors who are cabinet members. They haven’t resigned. Then there’s the multi-million pounds loan from government. How much has Havering borrowed this year, what’s the repayment period, and at what ruinous interest rate? No-one was interested.

Keith Prince (35) asked Q4 about mislabeling staff agency costs as telephone expenses.4 The amount was £262,000. Apparently ‘mistakes’ happen and ‘lessons have been learned’. Keith accepted this. This is amazing. The ‘mistake’ is so bizarre it needs a vivid imagination to think how it could have been made. Keith’s fatal lack of probing curiosity is characteristic of councillors who literally don’t know how to do scrutiny. Everything is accepted at face value regardless of how ludicrous.

The 2022-26 HRA Council finished with a whimper.

Notes

1 (Public Pack)Agenda Document for Council, 18/03/2026 19:30 p325 for all printed questions See Annotator Player for the webcast All times relate to this webcast

2 Can the Administration please confirm which services will be lost and what the approximate financial impact would be on the Borough should Havering withdraw from the Greater London Authority area? It shouldn’t be forgotten that Andrew tried, and failed, to become the Conservative Mayoral candidate.

3 Groundhog Day – Wikipedia

4 In the interests of transparency can the Leader explain why, who and what amount is being referred to in the Standard article which says Havering Council has tagged payments to one of its recruitment and workforce suppliers as “telephone expenses”.

Havering’s Data Centre Consultation, 25th March 2026

The consultation meeting held at the Town Hall was challenging. The room was inadequate. Neither the acoustics nor sightlines aided discussion. These problems were exacerbated by a chair who was inexperienced. Panel members huddled defensively behind computer screens instead of standing and clearly addressing the meeting. As a result, members of the public were helplessly holding up their hands for inordinate periods of time.

Havering’s Friends of the Earth: A Visualisation

The group1 have produced a visualisation to aid understanding. The link is here:

HFoE – VDC Tour

Greenwashing

As with all intrusive industrialisation projects, there are heroic efforts to greenwash. The pretence is that there is an environmental gain from the industrial use of the Green Belt. The offer here is an ‘ecology park’ and small-scale agriculture.

This is a tragic lost opportunity. The Data Centre will become Havering’s industrial frontier. Why not go the whole hog? Why not pivot towards intensive industrial farming?2 Another warehouse would fit in visually and help meet Britain’s insatiable desire for salad food all year round. Industrial farming would curb imports and the destructive carbon footprint miles.

The ‘ecology park’ is comically misplaced. It’s as appropriate as putting it at the junction of the M25 and A13. Far better would be land south of Albyns Farm in Hornchurch Country Park.3 A sensitive development would enhance the ‘jewel in the crown’ that is the country park. It’s possible to imagine the ‘ecology park’ being a destination if placed in a country park. It is impossible to imagine people having a day out next to industrial warehouses.

Finally

Section 106 agreements could show ambition. A Data Centre is massively intrusive and alters the character of Havering. The Council should be demanding significant and bold investment in Havering as a mitigation of the industrialisation of the Green Belt.

Notes

1 Havering Friends of the Earth

2 Vertical Farming Transforms The Farm-to-Fork Supply Chain

3 Havering’s Finest Park – Politics in Havering