Havering’s Commonwealth War Graves

In Britain, the 11^th of November is known as Remembrance Day. It is a national event marked by elaborate public ceremonies. It is a historic day celebrating those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice. Memorials include the Sanders Draper¹ academy, which was named after an act of outstanding heroism.

During the First World War nearly a million British men died. They are memorialised with plaques in churches and public places. The Commonwealth War Graves (CWGC) was a government body who recognised that the majority of men died abroad and ensured that they were buried with full military honours.²

The Commission created marvellous sites, which are now part of British culture. There are escorted tours to share to maintain the historic connexion (see addendum).³

In Havering the eleven CWGC sites range from the elaborate to the anonymous. These sites are the burial place for 328 men. The largest is Romford cemetery with 119 graves and the smallest is Havering-atte-Bower (St John) with two.

The CWGC have graves in religious and secular sites. For example, St Andrew’s, Hornchurch and the adjacent cemetery are separate sites. In Rainham the Jewish CWGC site has graves integrated in the main body of the cemetery.⁵

Remembrance Day brings into sharp focus the sacrifice of previous generations. In Havering, respect for The Fallen is woven into the environment.

Addendum: Thiepval memorial

This memorial is in the Somme. The cemetery has 72,320 graves.⁴

Addendum: Havering’s CWGC sites

Noak Hill (St Thomas)

Hornchurch (St Andrew’s)

Hornchurch cemetery

Romford cemetery

Upminster (St Laurence)

Upminster cemetery

Rainham (Federation) Jewish cemetery

Rainham cemetery

Havering-atte-Bower (St John)

North Ockendon (St Mary Magdalene)

Cranham (All Saints)

Notes

1 Raimund Sanders Draper – Wikipedia

2 Search Results | CWGC The website says access to their cemetery in GAZA is inaccessible because of the war there!

3 Havering – Greater London Lieutenancy see also War Graves Pilgrimage | Leger Holidays This is just one example. NB The use of the word ‘pilgrimage’ making it quasi-religious.

4 Thiepval – Wikipedia see also Thiepval Memorial | Cemetery Details | CWGC

5 Private Stephen Shuster | War Casualty Details 2426994 | CWGC This provides additional detail for Stephen who was 19 years old when he died.

Havering MP: Margaret Mullane, Dagenham and Rainham

Margaret isn’t an MP from a conveyor belt producing clones. The contrast with Julia Lopez is stark. She went to Cambridge University, got a job with an MP, and then after being parachuted into a ‘safe’ seat, became a minister. Their maiden speeches reflect their differences.¹

Margaret described her working-class roots in Dagenham using the phrase ‘Made In Dagenham.² She was radicalized by the 1980s miners’ strike, which was crushed by a militarised police force. The strike ended with mining communities being destroyed.

Throughout her speech she emphasised the empathy that working-class people have for each other. The tragic fire at the Spectrum flats illustrates this.

Margaret mapped out her role as an MP. She highlighted the scourge of knife crime. The injustices associated with the murder of four gay men in Barking remains a burning issue. She was delighted that in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster those seeking justice would no longer be thwarted by bureaucrats.³

She celebrated the budget. Featured strongly was funding for affordable housing, for councils, and infrastructure projects.

Margaret is fiercely proud of her working-class roots and will champion them whilst she’s an MP.

Notes

1 Making my Maiden Speech | Julia Lopez MP See also Hornchurch and Upminster’s MP: Julia Lopez – Politics in Havering

2 Made in Dagenham – Wikipedia

3 Hillsborough disaster: Five key mistakes – BBC News

Margaret’s Maiden Speech

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to contribute to this debate with my maiden speech. It is the honour of my life to be standing here, in this historic place, at the heart of democracy, representing the communities of Dagenham and Rainham, the place where I was born and raised.

I was well and truly made in Dagenham, and I am also the first woman to represent the seat since the boundaries were redrawn in 2010, when the old seat of Dagenham inherited the communities of Rainham, South Hornchurch, Elm Park and now Beam Park. I am proud to join the long list of political women from Dagenham, such as the Ford machinists whose battle paved the way for the Equal Pay Act in the ’70s, and now our very own Holly Ridley, Labour’s new general secretary.

I must take this opportunity to pay tribute to the inexhaustible work of my predecessor, Jon Cruddas, who always put the needs of local people first and was, I know, a very well-respected Member of this House for his very thoughtful contributions. His presence will be missed by honourable colleagues in Westminster and by the people of Dagenham and Rainham, not least for his community-led approach to parliamentary politics. He always brought people with him, displaying integrity and compassion, and I have committed to continuing in that vein.

When people think of Dagenham and Rainham, they think of industry and the era of great British manufacturing —the Ford factory, Sanofi-Aventis and May & Baker, which created one of the first antibiotics, saving many thousands of lives during world war two, including that of Sir Winston Churchill when he suffered with pneumonia. People also think of council housing. The Becontree estate, one of the most ambitious social housing projects in the world, built during the interwar period, marked its 100th anniversary in 2021 and is still a source of great pride. People also think of working-class solidarity: the communities that were forged on the factory floor, in the clubs and at the docks; and the indomitable spirit of the women machinists whose famous fight paved the way for the Equal Pay Act 1970 and for a strong trade union voice in our area.

Dagenham and Rainham has a rich past, and it is now my job to ensure that it has a bright future, full of opportunity and promise, built on the back of a new

deal for working people. It has not always been politics for me; I have worked in insurance and in a call centre, and was a barmaid at the Dagenham Trades Hall.

I know how precarious work can be in areas such as Dagenham and Rainham, and it was the miners’ strike that drew me into politics. Seeing secure jobs stolen away, the injustice of Orgreave and the heart being ripped out of working-class communities by decisions made in Westminster, I knew then that I wanted to be a voice for working-class people. That is why I welcome the Government’s commitment to making the Hillsborough law a reality, creating a level playing field for people in places such as Dagenham and Rainham when tragedies sadly happen—like in 2015, when four young men were murdered by a serial killer. The Independent Office for Police Conduct found that mistakes were made during the investigation, and nearly a decade later I continue to work with the family of Jack Taylor, seeking the justice they deserve.

It is not only justice that working-class communities such as Dagenham and Rainham seek; they want more police on our streets to tackle the scourge of knife crime, particularly around transport hubs such as Dagenham Heathway, Elm Park and Rainham. We want thriving town centres, an NHS fit for the future—one where you can get a GP appointment—jobs you can raise a family on, council housing, infrastructure, good public services we can all rely on and representatives who serve with integrity.

The devastating fire at the Spectrum building in my constituency in the early hours of Monday 26 August will not have escaped the attention of the House. That has yet again brought to the fore the safety of residents in high-rise blocks across the country. Thankfully, a combination of brave residents and the rapid response from the London Fire Brigade meant that there was no loss of life on this occasion. I want to take a moment to thank our emergency services for their amazing work and our community in Dagenham for their overwhelming response to this tragedy. Local businesses and residents rallied around to help families who had lost literally everything. That is who we are in Dagenham and Rainham, and I could not be prouder as their representative in this House.

There is a long way to go before we have a level playing field, but in the meantime I will dedicate every moment I spend in this House to raising living standards and attracting opportunities for my constituents. The work has already begun. In a matter of months London’s biggest film studio will be complete, bringing skilled work in the creative industries to a new generation of young people, making hope possible. That has only been made possible under the local stewardship of Labour, guided by Jon Cruddas, who brokered the agreement when Sanofi-Aventis vacated the site, and Barking and Dagenham council, which secured the deal with Hackman Capital Partners to develop it.

As with all things, there is good news and bad news, and there are still a lot of battles that need to be fought. There is a patch of empty land at Marsh Way where c2c trains should be taking customers from their new neighbourhood on the Beam Park estate to Fenchurch Street in 20 minutes, as promised by developers. I am determined to make sure that promise is made good.

Since discovering that this crucial infrastructure has been derailed, it is Labour representatives who have been fighting for a green light to get it delivered.

I have always been a champion of council housing at traditional social rents, and I will continue to do that in Parliament. That is why I welcome the Government’s commitment to build a new generation of social and affordable homes. I also welcome the commitment to put in the essential services that communities desperately need. I will always beat the drum of infrastructure. As we build—there is a lot of development planned for Dagenham and Rainham—we must ensure not only that the homes are affordable, but that there are schools, GPs and dentists, transport options, leisure facilities, green spaces and the amenities needed to thrive.

There are many new challenges in Dagenham and Rainham, but there are also historical challenges that need resolution. The ongoing fires at the illegal landfill on Launders Lane in Rainham are not only a scandal but a public health risk, and I will be fighting tooth and nail to extinguish them once and for all. The health of my constituents is paramount. That is why I am in regular contact with the chief executive of the Barking, Havering and Redbridge university hospitals NHS trust, offering my support to get our local NHS back on its feet. Our local NHS has ambitious plans to expand the emergency department at Queen’s hospital, and I will be doing everything in my power to make that a reality.

At the election, I promised that I would help local communities to shape the future of Dagenham and Rainham. From the Daggers boxing club to local faith groups, businesses, working men’s clubs, and amazing local charities such as Dagenham United and the Ship in Rainham, everyone plays a part in building a future for Dagenham and Rainham. That includes Barking and Dagenham and Havering councils, which is why I will be a constant voice asking for a revised funding formula for local authorities, so that they have the resources they need to transform lives.

I will finish as I started. It is the honour of my life to stand here representing my community and to be given the opportunity to serve. I am fiercely proud of Dagenham and Rainham and, building on the legacy of those who stood here before me, I will always be on hand to fight for the communities who call my constituency home. Thank you.

Havering’s Academies On Parade: Choose Me!

In the 1950s children attended their nearest secondary school and four years later they left. They started work the following Monday. And that was that.

It’s more complex nowadays. Schools are expected to be attractive and parents must choose a school. How? Choosing implies knowledge. Diligent parents do research, read OFSTED reports, scrutinise school’s web pages and attend Open Evenings.

Good GCSE results are a selling point for some parents. But what if the school isn’t a stellar performer? What happens then?

They shamelessly duck and dive.

St. Edwards Academy have an out-of-date ‘Performance and Results’ page. This is supported by the government performance website, which tells the reader that the school’s grade is ‘Well above average’.²Expertise is needed to understand the website. The 2022 OFSTED report, which is readable, is good.³

Meanwhile Marshalls Park Academy is, “…incredibly proud of all students….and our 2024 results include many notable success stories.”³ They follow up with a link to the government website.⁴ Its banding is, “Well Below Average”.⁵ Nonetheless the school reaches the national ‘Gold Standard’ GCSE English and Maths grade 5.⁶

Coopers Coburn,⁸ Drapers Academy⁹ and Harris Academy Rainham¹⁰ publish exam results in full. Parents, who care about GCSE results, know exactly where they stand. There’s no ambiguity.

GCSE results aren’t commercial secrets, which need protecting. They’re part of the way in which parents chose a school for their child.

Addendum: Research note

This was written on the 27^th October 2024. The schools quoted are a sample of the 18 academies in Havering. This topic is discussed in more detail here.¹¹

Notes

1 Performance & Results | St Edward’s Church of England Academy

2 St Edward’s Church of England Academy – Compare school and college performance data in England – GOV.UK A dedicated parent would look at this table Download data – Compare school and college performance data in England – GOV.UK

3 St Edward’s Church of England Academy – Open – Find an Inspection Report – Ofsted

4 Marshalls Park Academy – Exam Results It continues, “Our two top performing students were Ralph Gilroy and Caoimhe Juson, with an impressive 16 grade 8 and 9’s between them.” The misplaced apostrophe is unfortunate in this context

5 Marshalls Park Academy – Compare school and college performance data in England – GOV.UK

6 loc.cit. This relates to 2023. It’s included because the school directed the reader to it.

7 loc.cit.

8 GCSE-Examination-Results-2024.pdf

9 Headline-Results-2024-main.pdf

10 Examinations Results – Harris Academy Rainham

11 How Havering’s Academies Conceal their 2022 GCSE Results – Politics in Havering NB Harris Academy have changed their presentation of results since 2022 and are now an example of best practice.

Havering’s Cabinet Meeting, 9th October 2024

The meeting dealt with awarding contracts. Every officer recommendation was agreed. Scrutiny was provided by Keith Prince who did a manly job. This was especially the case with the award of a Housing IT contract, Item 8.¹

Keith (1:04)² focused on the price range,

“Indicative Market Comparison Costs……Based on the extensive market assessment across eight suppliers it is estimated that the total value of the contract will be within a range of c.£970,000 to £2.4m for the potential seven year life cycle of the software …..(results of market assessment across eight suppliers)”³

There is a 147% range between lowest and highest. Keith found this curious. Just how could there be such an enormous variation for the same performance? The complex story took an interesting turn when the director of finance said she could vary these prices by a further half million pounds under delegated powers. Taking the lowest indicative price, that was a further 51%. Reading the cabinet’s ‘body language’, it was obvious they didn’t know about her delegated powers. (The papers will be rewritten reflecting this insight.)

Keith did an excellent job at this meeting.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ray Morgon’s attempt to suppress the Institutional Racism report hit another road block⁴ when the appeal against the Freedom of Information Tribunal judgment failed,

A judge ruled that the council’s grounds for trying to cover up the 400-page dossier were “inarguable” and had “no realistic prospect of success”. ⁵ (my emphasis)

He’s a sucker for punishment and might appeal against this judgement. The lawyers are loving it. Havering’s library users are less happy.

Notes

1 (Public Pack)Agenda Document for Cabinet, 09/10/2024 19:30 p97

2 Time is based on the webcast

3 loc.cit. p99

4 Institutional Racism and Havering Council – Politics in Havering

5 Information Tribunal rejects Havering Council racism dossier appeal | This Is Local London

Havering’s Bankruptcy and Margaret Thatcher

Thatcherite economics in 1979 was straight-forward. Income tax was reduced and capital assets lightly taxed to reward Conservative voters.¹ Lost revenue was replaced with massive increases in regressive taxes like VAT. George Osborne, a Thatcherite without the brains, introduced The Age of Austerity, 2010-24. His freezing of Council Tax ultimately made Havering bankrupt because lost revenue wasn’t replaced.

Ray Morgon borrowed £52m, at 7%, from the government to replace the lost revenue in 2024. This is like using credit cards for day-to-day spending, which is obviously insane. Worse, the council is selling capital assets to fill the hole Osborne made. (Bankrupt aristocrats call this, ‘selling the family silver.’) It’s a futile tactic to buy time.

In a full year, 2% of council tax will be needed to pay the interest on the loan.

Havering is bankrupt because council tax is too low.². Trivial *cuts* like four libraries reduce the deficit by £300,000.³ Havering’s budget is £180M.

What does inflation, 2010-24 tell us?

General inflation: 61%⁴

House price inflation: 100%+⁵

Council tax inflation: 46.7%⁶

The 2024-25 budget deficit is expected to be £32M.⁷This is caused by Council Tax not being inflation linked. Council Tax is a Property Tax.

House price inflation has been at least 100% because of the magic ofThatcherite economics. Wealth in assets is lightly taxed and rises in value. Or, as the Bible says, The rich get richer.⁸ Born-again Thatcherites like Andrew Rosindell probably know this. Meanwhile pot holes are a symptom of bankruptcy.

Ray Morgan and Gillian Ford should beg government for the freedom to set Havering’s Council Tax.

Notes

1 BBC Budget 97 “In his first [1979] Budget he raised VAT from….8% to a single rate of 15%….an increase in prescription charges from 20p to 45p and a major relaxation of exchange controls.” In the same budget higher rate taxation was reduced from 60% to 40%.

2 Havering Council Tax: Is It Too Low? – Politics in Havering

3 Havering launches new library strategy | London Borough of Havering

4 £1 in 2010 → 2024 | UK Inflation Calculator (in2013dollars.com)

5 House Prices in Hornchurch (rightmove.co.uk) 11 Ravensbourne Crescent, Romford increased 142%. 17 Ravenscourt Grove, Hornchurch increased 117%

6 Previous years’ bands | Council Tax bands and bills | London Borough of Havering Using Band D.

7 Cabinet agrees “toughest budget ever” | London Borough of Havering The actual out-turn won’t be £32M because much expenditure is demand led and not quantifiable accurately.

8 Matthew 25:29

Havering’s Cabinet Meetings: 11th September and 18th September, 2024

Item 6: 11^th September

Assure Havering residents that the Council takes Hate Crime seriously and has robust mechanisms in place to help combat/reduce such behaviour; and · Inform victims and witnesses about the various support options currently available, including how to contact those specialist agencies.^1,2 (my emphasis)

The government requires councils to have *Hate Crime* policies. The policy is for Havering’s housing tenants. Paul McGeary (36 minutes)³, read a statement. He has no enthusiasm, it’s as if it’s an unwelcome chore. Keith Darvill (42) worried about costs. When told there were no additional costs he was still worried, which was surprising.

The schizophrenic cabinet endorsed this policy whilst paying a fortune to a King’s Counsel (KC). The KC will try to sustain the council’s position on the suppression of their report on racism amongst council employees.² Institutional racism, of course, is a hate crime. The report will be uncomfortable and unwelcome. It is, in the words of the Tribunal which decided the Romford Recorder’s Freedom of Information request, “of overwhelming public interest”.⁴ Therefore, it should be published.

Item 10: 25^th September

This item is a Performance Report on the Council. The ‘score card’ categories are as follows:

“· Red = Below target and below the ‘variable tolerance’ of the target

Amber = Below target but within the ‘variable tolerance’ of the target
Green = Above annual target.”⁵

The outcome isn’t flattering, with 41% being RED and a cause for concern.

Interestingly the IT document transmission failed and Opposition leaders only received a summary report. Keith Prince (1:32) believed it should be made public. Reading the Leader’s *Body Language* this is unlikely to happen.

Councillors spent three minutes (from1:31) on this item. Chummy cabinet meetings, with lots of bonhomie, are a tragic wasted opportunity. The public is ill-served when a 41% failure rate is shrugged off without comment.

Notes

1 (Public Pack)Agenda Document for Cabinet, 18/09/2024 19:30 (havering.gov.uk) p579

2 Institutional Racism and Havering Council – Politics in Havering

3 Annotator Player (mediasite.com) Times refer to this webcast. There wasn’t any sound until this item. This gelled with the members’ criticisms about the poor Council’s IT interface.

4 Havering Council seeks appeal over racism report ruling | Romford Recorder

5 (Public Pack)Agenda Document for Cabinet, 25/09/2024 19:30 (havering.gov.uk) p184

Julia Lopez and Andrew Rosindell ~ Back from the Brink, July 2024

After the catastrophic general election, Julia and Andrew have reacted differently. They both had 82% reductions in their huge majorities.¹ What lessons did they learn from this experience?

Julia’s response is that she’s now a constituency MP. She’s ditching her nickname Invisible. Her new dynamism has been rewarded with many appearances in the Romford Recorder. Dynamic, caring, constituency work is Julia’s five-year project. She hopes to be the darling of Hornchurch and Upminster in 2029.

Andrew’s response is amnesia. Bad things happened during the last 14 years and they’re all Labour’s fault. Andrew admires Robert Jenrick,² who was Immigration Minister in Sunak’s government.

“For too long, mass migration has gone unchecked, placing unbearable strain on housing, schools, the NHS and on all public services.”³

That Andrew supports anti-immigration politics and Jenrick shows the power of amnesia.

He believes Romford needs red-blooded Conservatism and then he’ll be the darling of Romford once more.

Julia and Andrew suffered from a rampant Reform Party. Their actual strategy is to “really, really” pray Farage’s Reform party implodes. Otherwise, the 2029 election could be terminal for Julia and Andrew.

Notes

1 Havering’s Tory MPs Dodge the Bullet, 4th July 2024 – Politics in Havering

2 Romford Recorder 27^th September 2024 p33 Andrew hosted Jenrick at his Romford HQ.

3 loc.cit.

Institutional Racism and Havering Council

Several years ago, there were disturbing allegations of Institutional Racism amongst officers of the Council. A report was commissioned to uncover the truth. The report was completed three years ago and it sustained those allegations. The Conservative Administration of Damian White rejected demands for publication. Ray Morgon, the Leader of the Opposition, demanded the report be published. A campaign began led by the Romford Recorder who put in a Freedom of Information request.

For three years the Council resisted that Freedom of Information request.

The Romford Recorder¹ has won a court case demanding publication of the report. The Council won’t publish and it continues to fight the Recorder. Institutional Racism is an insidious ‘Hate Crime’, which rots trust in the workplace and community.

“The council was ordered in August to disclose a 400-page dossier of evidence to the Romford Recorder within 42 days, after we won a legal action on behalf of our readers…Information Tribunal judges ruled that the council was not entitled to suppress the document as its contents were of overwhelming public interest.”² (my emphasis)

HRA’s response is to continue resistance by hiring a King’s Counsel for an appeal.

The appeal is lame. Firstly, it wants to protect other councils, which is a specious justification and a waste of Havering taxpayers’ money.

Secondly, they claim the document is “historic” and therefore misleading. It’s historic because the council have fought tooth and nail to prevent publication.

Thirdly, the document is inflammatory, which “….risks fracturing community cohesion in the borough at a time when the national temperature is heightened.”³ Really?

Assuming the Recorder has faithfully recorded the Chief Executive’s justifications for the appeal, its chances of success are slim, and very expensive.

Council officers oppose publication because they fear reputational damage. However, it is Conservative and HRA politicians who are preventing publication, not officers.

Questions:

1) Are any perpetrators still employed by Havering?

2) Was compensation paid to any victims?

3) Did the council demand No Disclosure Agreements from any employee in relation to the findings of this report?

4) Were any councillors named in the report?

Notes

1 Havering Council seeks appeal over racism report ruling | Romford Recorder

2 loc.cit.

3 loc.cit

Havering Council Meeting: 4th September 2024 (part two)

Library Closure Debate (Begins at 56 minutes)^1,2

This was the best debate in recent years. Thoughtful and insightful points were made in an ultra-positive environment. Great stuff.

Martin Goode (56mins) set the tone. Firstly, placing libraries in the community and then forensically analysing the financial actualité. A lot of the savings is staffing. However, Havering has a no redundancy policy so there is an over-statement of savings.

Two councillors³ explained the importance of libraries to their, and every body’s, childhood. Dilip Patel (1:25) quoted Woodford Green library as an example of creative regeneration. This set the scene for ‘thinking outside the box’, a point approvingly made by Ray Morgon (2:16) to Keith Prince’s (2:19) surprise. The consultation didn’t offer alternatives to closure.

Philip Ruck (1:31) favours morally correct decisions. James Glass (1:49) is refreshingly optimistic unlike HRA, which embraces ‘victimhood’. Chris Wilkins (1:22) exemplifies victimhood: he’s wedded to ‘Loans and Savings’. He’s oblivious to the £1.5m that a 1% council tax increase offers, an option “that dare not speak its name”.⁴

Graham Williamson (1:44) stunned councillors by saying that libraries are ‘subsidised’. They’re a public service, which might surprise him, as he implies they’re failing businesses. Gillian Ford was outraged that Prince wanted to conclude the debate even if it went on beyond 10:30 (2:00).⁵ He said HRA are led by officers. Council officers, as a group, have reductionist attitudes: ‘You want savings? Here they are!’

Four libraries might close to ‘save’ 0.55% of the deficit.

Best sarcasm: Philip Ruck

Best politics: Brian Eagling (1:28)

Absentee councillors: Nine, which is outrageous.

Notes

1 Annotator Player (mediasite.com) All times relate to this webcast

2 Motions.pdf (havering.gov.uk) For the wording of the motion and amendments

3 Mandy Anderson and Judith Holt made significant speeches on this point.

4 Havering Council Tax: Is It Too Low? – Politics in Havering

5 A close vote 25:21 casts doubt on this

Havering Council Meeting: 4th September 2024 (part one)

Question Time¹

Question Time is for councillors to quiz cabinet members. It’s limited to 45 minutes. Unlike parliament, where there’s no limit on questions, only 15 questions are allowed. Six more questions should have been posed because the time wasn’t used. Ray Morgon favours scrutiny, so more questions fits his agenda. This inexplicable rule needs revising.

Barry Mugglestone answered eight questions. His world-weary approach is understandable. Question 1: Can the Cabinet Member for Environment confirm that the option of paper visitor parking permits is still available in Havering? [Judith Holt: 19 mins]² The answer was, ‘Yes’, but he was more expansive. After the unpleasantness at the last Council Meeting being gracious was important.³

Mandy Anderson (38 mins) highlighted three unregistered Children’s Homes used by Lambeth and Hampshire Councils. Oscar Ford’s blandness pill grated. Mandy’s ward is Havering’s most deprived and is a ‘dumping ground’. Oscar couldn’t care less. Council’s officers are, “Keeping their eye on it.” If Upminster had three illegal Children’s Homes he’d care a great deal more.

Keith Prince’s question (46 mins) about CCTV was interesting until he promoted facial recognition systems. Neither he or Barry realise facial recognition is racially biased and flawed. Keith is a cheer-leader for HRA. Question 15 (49 mins) to Ray Morgon was classic: Do you agree with me that you’re great?⁴ Ray shyly agreed he was great.

Best humour: Gerry O’Sullivan’s constant mispronunciation of Martin Goode’s name.

Notes

1 Council Questions 4 September 2024.pdf (havering.gov.uk)

2 Annotator Player (mediasite.com) All times relate to this webcast

3 Havering’s Council Meeting 24th July 2024 (part one) – Politics in Havering

4 Not his ‘exact’ words but that’s what they added up to