Question Time¹

Only one cabinet member didn’t have a question to answer, Sue Benjamins, the Finance Tsar. As Havering lurches towards bankruptcy that’s an insight into the priorities of councillors.

Q2: Martynas Cekavicius replying to Brian Eagling (55 minutes): Brian is an excellent councillor and it’s best to agree when he is using local knowledge. Martynas did just that. Very wise. At stake was street cleaning and the claim that Harold Wood had been cleaned 17 times. Brian denied that flat out and offered to demonstrate that to Martynas. He graciously agreed.

Q4: Robert Whitton replying to Stephanie Nunn (1:00): Housing fraud could potentially be costing £2m annually if Havering is ‘average’. Robert was entirely dissatisfied with current anti-fraud procedures. He favoured beefing up the fraud squad. He said this could pay for itself as well as releasing homes to people who had a legitimate need.

Q5: Keith Prince replying to Darren Wise (1:05): The sight of torn, dirty flags on lampposts is a grim reminder of last year’s emotional spasm. But what to do? Just like people who put notices about lost cats and dogs on lampposts they remain awaiting removal. But who pays? Keith was clear – it wouldn’t be the Council. The price of faux patriotism.

Q10: Graham Day replying to Gillian Ford (1:26): Graham is a specialist in waffle, which is irritating. This critical question demanded a detailed reply. Unfortunately, it was ‘pie in the sky’. Significant expenditures depended on future savings (which are probably real but in the meantime?). Graham floundered. If this is indicative of Reform budget analysis Sue Benjamins is in for a hard time.

Best Question: Stephanie Nunn

Best Answer: Robert Whitton

Note

1 Council Questions 2 September 2026.pdf Each question is timed by using this webcast Annotator Player