Tag: Havering Council

Keith Prince’s Aspirations for Havering, 2026-2040

This glossy well-produced document1 is aspirational and strategic. It’s short on detail but outlines things Keith thinks will make Havering a better place. It’s incremental. If you read the booklet looking for firm commitments, you will be disappointed. It is refreshing to read a political document which isn’t devoted to ‘quick-fixes.’

Keith sub-divides the document into a number of headings2,

Our Values

We will put Havering residents first for new homes we build as a Council, for new schools and new jobs. We will put Havering businesses first for new opportunities.

Keith says the Council will use their influence to put Havering residents first. Obviously he can’t insist that businesses employ people from Havering as that is illegal discrimination. But the direction of travel is clear and has implications for employment by the Council itself.

Build Havering

We will deliver the homes (primarily family houses) for Havering families…

Housing is controversial. The key challenge is: what is a ‘family house?’  Keith’s previous statements suggest he means 3-bed semi-detached houses. This conflicts with the need for social housing, which requires high density estates. Social housing is critical in resolving endemic homelessness in Havering.

Grow Havering

Havering is established as one of London’s leading business locations particularly for growth sectors including Data and Digital Services, AI, Robotics, Life Sciences and Logistics.

This aspiration implies a challenge to the sanctity of the Green Belt. Reform’s planning committee will make strategic decisions about the proposed Data Centre site at north Ockendon. This is hinted at but there is already an organised pressure group focused on this issue. The Data Centre is political dynamite.

Improve Havering

We will protect and upgrade our parks and public green areas

Keith is safe with this one. Who will propose ‘unprotected and degraded parks and green areas?’ Absolutely no-one.

Flagship Projects

Financial Recovery

Two words! But a nightmare. Keith could be thwarted by the consequences of the financial destruction of Havering by George Osborne, 2010-16.3 Havering’s government borrowing debt is crippling and may scupper his aspirations. Unless Andy Burnham reconfigures the debt burden, Havering will have Government Commissioners in place by 2028. They don’t do aspirationsavering is likely to have Government Commui

.

They are grimly utilitarian.

Notes

1 The Havering Plan 2024

2 This blog takes a few of the headings and quotes from them to build a critique

3 Osborne’s ‘Age of Austerity’ was a mindless attack on local government by a Conservative extremist. Ten years later everything is worse with additional statutory pressures wrecking Havering’s finances.

Havering Cabinet Meeting, 16th September 2026

Keith Prince (1 hour 10):1 [Havering will be] “A ‘super suburb….” This is Keith’s 2040 Plan, which is full of hyperbole and ignores the perilous financial situation the borough is drowning in.

Bystanders hearing this would, in the normal way of things, give Keith an aspirin and tell him to lie down in a dark room until he felt better. But! This is an insight into his leadership qualities. Later in the meeting Graham Day (31) showed adherence to Keith’s boosterism.

This cabinet meeting was important. Reform councillors aren’t the *New kids on the block* anymore. They’ve been in office for 131 days. They should have command of their departments by now. Alas and alack that wasn’t the case.

Kevin Gill (8) and Terry Brown (23) floundered and dithered and called for help from officers. They hadn’t done their homework and were caught out. Likewise, Robert Whitton (1:04) who made inept political points, which weren’t an introduction to a stellar performance. He relied on officers and was paralysed by the occasion. All three councillors need mentoring. (see Addendum)

Graham Day (31) is garrulous but used his material well and spoke with enthusiasm. His enthusiasm led to over-statements. He denied that Adult Services were flawed in any way and described them as “Superb”. This is Keith’s Havering.

Sue Benjamins (1:24) hadn’t prepared her opening remarks and attempted to speak to the papers. She should have followed Barry Mugglestone’s excellent tactic of thorough preparation. As a consequence, she put an odd ‘gloss’ on the £54.2m government loan facility, saying it reflected an underspend. What she actually meant was that the overspend £11.7m less than anticipated.  This reflects Keith’s delusional economics.

She offered an interesting example of where a capital underspend is a bad thing. The SEND transport budget could be trimmed if the Balgores site was open. And outcomes would improve, which is a double win.

Best Scrutiny: Barry Mugglestone – ably supported by Martin Goode and Matt Stanton

Addendum: Cabinet responsibility

“Council calls upon the Executive Leadership Team to support the Cabinet in achieving these outcomes.” Reform’s amendment to Motion C Council Meeting 2nd September 2026.

I assumed this was an aberration when I wrote the relevant blog2 but after this meeting I’m not sure. It reflects the reality of this Administration’s relationship with Chief Officers, which is subservience.

Notes

1 Annotator Player All times refer to this webcast

2 see Havering Council Meeting, 2nd September 2026 (part two) – Politics in Havering

Havering Council Meeting, 2nd September 2026 (part two)

Motions1

Introduction

Keith Prince (1 hour 44 minutes) did an accurate and tedious nit-picking dissection of the *RULE BOOK*. He enjoys nit-picking. No-one else does.

Motion A: Everyone agreed that Havering, “limit excessive private profits in children’s residential social care across the UK, in alignment with Scotland.”

Motion B: “This Council agrees not to spend valuable council resources on a referendum to leave London.”

Andrew Rosindell was a dark cloud looming over Reform councillors, keeping them on ‘message’. True Believers affirmed their commitment, though some were more slippery than others – step forward, Bailey Nash-Gardner (1:54), Luke Barry (1:55), and Gary Payne (2:02).

The motion introduced a fierce Gillian Ford (1:51), which was refreshing. Cut-and-thrust is always appreciated when it is done well. Three Reform councillors indulged themselves in jeering, which was really a bullying tactic.

Motion C: “Council recognises that adverse childhood experiences, trauma and other life events can affect a resident’s ability to engage with support services, sustain tenancies, maintain employment and participate fully in community life.”

The Reform Group’s Amendment was insane, “Council calls upon the Executive Leadership Team to support the Cabinet in achieving these outcomes.”  (my emphasis)

The Reform Administration asked the Executive Team to cooperate with the policies of councillors. Asked! Keith Prince’s Administration obviously has a strange relationship with the Executive Leadership Team. Councillors agree policies, which must be implemented by the Executive Leadership Team.

Keith worries that the Executive Leadership Team can refuse councillor policies. The Executive Team must follow instructions. If they refuse, they must resign or demand written, legally binding, instructions. Those instructions act as a legal statement that the Executive Leadership Team were under duress and acting in opposition to their professional advice.

Apart from this insanity, the debate was wonderful. There was cross-party agreement on the importance of the motion. Matt Stanton (2:08), Graham Day (2:11) and Keith Prince (2:17) referenced known experiences which added to the texture of the debate. If there is indeed a ‘joined up response’ and recognition of the ‘ecosystem’ of support following this debate, Council can congratulate itself.

Motion D: “Commends the new Administration for their firm and determined action to tackle the ongoing fires, smoke and pollution from Arnold’s Field, Launder’s Lane, and the impact on residents in Rainham.”

This was Stalinist self-congratulation.

Best Motion: Motion C

Best Speech: Gillian Ford

Note

1 (Public Pack)Agenda Document for Council, 02/09/2026 19:00 Motions in full For the webcast Annotator Player All times refer to this site

Keith Prince’s First 100 Days: 8th May-16th August 2026

Keith’s Reform Party had a landslide victory on May 7th. This destroyed the Conservative/Resident Association grip on Havering. Political geeks were enthralled by this stunning event. Keith triumphantly announced a ‘100 days of action’ to define the scale of his victory.

What has happened since May 8th?

Keith was national and international news. Farage and Jenrick came to share his glory. Keith said they would ‘Hit the ground running’; they were, ‘New management’ and had ‘a plan’.

Significantly he trashed Andrew Rosindell’s obsession that Havering should leave London. July’s Council meeting had two Reform Motions.1 They opposed the Climate Change Emergency and the ULEZ. Both Motions were nonsense. The Climate Change Emergency policy was impractical and the ULEZ is a ship which has sailed.

Keith uses the media expertly. He has produced many videos giving a running commentary. This use of social media is welcome.

Reform has no policies on core Council activities.2 Government loans continue to balloon with an inevitable(?) bankruptcy looming. Reform needs policies for their ‘New Management’ of the Adult and Children’s services and Homelessness budgets. They are 70% of the total budget.Contaminated land at Launders Lane is intractable but the festering sore of the Waterloo Estate is moving towards a solution.3 Finance is difficult to explain but Reform should have made an effort by now.

Reform hints at a pro-business regeneration policy. This is provocative for Havering’s NIMBY voters.4 Regeneration usually generates outrage. 24 years of Conservative/RA negativity is integral to Havering’s DNA. The electorate want,

Change but everything to stay the same

Notes

1 Motions.pdf For a full critique see Havering Council Meeting, 22nd July 2026 (part two) – Politics in Havering

2 Prince summarises his 100 days plan like this: “[The plan sets] the tone for how we will work: listening to residents, making sensible decisions, reviewing the Council’s finances, strengthening governance and focusing on the everyday issues people care about…” The remainder of the article avoids the financial challenges the borough faces despite the implicit promise.

Source Havering Council Leader Promises Change as First 100 Days Focus on Crime, Fires and Council Finances. – The Havering Daily

3 Both of are part of the poisoned chalice Keith has inherited. Source ROMFORD SET FOR 100+ NEW HOMES: Major Waterloo And Queen Street Project Moves Ahead. – The Havering Daily

4 Most councillors are NIMBY and oppose everything. This is especially the case with housing developments where only 3-bed semis are acceptable seemingly.

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

Havering Council Meeting: Budget Setting, 4th March 2026

There is a legal requirement that Councils have a balanced budget. This is impossible because Havering is bankrupt. Its statutory commitments can’t be funded from revenue. The strategy is to add to debts to pay revenue commitments. This is fiscal insanity as the interest can’t be paid.

Enter Chris Wilkins, Cabinet Member for Finance (13 minutes).1,2 He declared the budget will be legally balanced because…..he’d organised more debt. The debt mountain will be £229m by 2029. Chris gives an excellent impression of being a nodding donkey. He doesn’t seem to understand what he‘s reading. A debt of £229m means interest payments will be 30% of the budget by 2029. Chris didn’t mention interest charges during his 13 minutes speech. Philip Ruck (1:31) noticed and was outraged at the sheer folly of it. Annual (unpaid) interest payments would be about £17m and would be added to the capital. Credit card maxxed out!

Keith Darvill (25) introduced the Labour amendment3 self-consciously. He was ultra-defensive and apologetic – as if he was speaking out of turn.

Michael White (36) gave a masterful speech. He demonstrated his command of the subject and critiqued HRA’s four years in a probing, forensic way. The principal highlight was his remarks about the GLA budget, which amounts to nearly 25% of the total Council Tax bill. He made play about the lack of a medium-term plan for the dire budget pressures. He worried about the impact of the Israel-USA-Iran war on interest rates. Michael made obvious remarks about relying on loans for revenue expenditure. Thus, he successfully trashed Chris’s blissful optimism.

Martin Goode (53) denounced the reliance on long-term debt to fund current expenditure. He demanded that the Council throw in the towel and face facts. He wants Government Commissioners to take over the Council. Gillian Ford (1:00) said only the section 151 officer could ask for Government assistance like this. That ought not be a problem as she had previously stated HRA was following an unsustainable strategy.

Keith Prince (1:01) has a curious flippant style, which mostly falls flat. He worried about debt and the borough’s future Council Taxpayers. Interestingly he claimed the borough’s woes were turbo-charged by the lack of detailed scrutiny. This is theoretically likely but Havering’s culture of absenteeism4 by councillors means more scrutiny is unlikely. Unlikely because it involves doing homework and turning up.

Ray Morgon (1:28) indulged in chit-chat. Judith Holt (1:34) pointed out special skills were needed to read a budget book 1070 pages long. Nisha Patel (1:40) did a good review of Michael’s speech reinforcing some points. Gillian Ford (1:42) had a breathless shopping list of achievements. The concept ‘strategy’ appeared many times. Brian Eagling (1:45) said that football pitches had seen fees rise yet again and that sport should be promoted. Oscar Ford (1:48) used fluent management speech. This didn’t always coincide with reality. Barry Mugglestone (1:51) was combative, which livened the meeting up. He and Keith Prince exchanged pleasantries about the Freedom Pass. They were both right, which made it more entertaining.

Jane Keane (1:56) did a Hollywood Oscar’type speech praising the Council’s staff. David Taylor (1:58) is a class act who will be badly missed. His nemesis, Andrew Rosindell, was given a quick going over. Andrew has consistently voted for the bankruptcy of Havering. Luckily he was in the chamber to enjoy David’s speech. James Glass (2:01) was demob crazy and is a loss. What he lacks in accuracy he makes up for with boyish enthusiasm.

Best speech: Michael White

Most sincere speech: Brian Eagling

Notes

1 Annotator Player All times relate to this webcast

2 Group spokesmen had 20 minutes for budget speeches. Astonishingly, Wilkins only used 13 minutes.

3 This Council calls on the Administration to introduce and promote an SME Support Package, initially, funding such a proposal from unspent UKSPF (and/or other unspent grants) seeking partnership for such a support package with organisations such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Adult College. (Public Pack)Agenda Document for Council, 04/03/2026 19:30 p1073

4 Havering Councillors and Their Attendance – Politics in Havering