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 Council Meeting, 2nd September, 2026 (part one)

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

Havering Council Meeting, 23rd July 2025 (Part Two)

This Council commits to taking back control of development in Havering, through the creation and implementation of Neighbourhood Plans and Social Value shopping lists within the next six months, putting residents and local communities at the heart of planning. Motions.pdf

David Tayor (1hour)¹ embraces Havering’s prejudices. Flats are alien in Havering, blots on the landscape. Preventing the building of them is politically a ‘Good Thing’. His cunning plan is pressure groups, or Neighbourhood Plans. Only Keith Darvill (1:06) said social housing is desirable even though this implies flats (see Addendum). Keith didn’t mention high density flats as a solution for homelessness. Graham Williamson (1:11) speaking for HRA, said he was helpless…as usual. Jane Keane (1:17) worried about ‘taking back control’ but didn’t say why. Jason Frost (1:19) favoured councillors as ‘influencers’. Chris Wilkins (1:21) was unintelligible.

The homeless are collateral damage to Havering’s negativity. Graham Williamson remarked on the harm development meant for residents. Residents are voters in this context. Havering has a problem, the hidden homeless,² many of whom are ‘sofa-surfing’. And then there are adults stranded in the family home at 30 years old. There are many such men and women in Havering. Havering’s housing policies serve only homeowners or, in the case of 16 councillors, owners of buy-to-let houses.³

Havering is heartless for any but the wealthy.⁴

Addendum: Housing density

The most densely populated square kilometre in the country, for example, is London’s neighbourhood of Maida Vale, which hosts around 20,000 people. In contrast, some urban areas in Europe exceed 50,0000 people, peaking at 53,000 in Barcelona. And if we take the number of people living in apartments as an indicator of housing density, this accounts for almost half (48%) of Europe’s population, compared with just 17% in the UK. This suggests that there may be the potential to increase the density of our residential developments, which would enable more homes to be built without expanding the development footprint. Source: Should we increase housing density? | CBRE UK (my emphasis. This would protect the Green Belt)

Best Cynicism: Damian White ~ absent yet again

Notes

1 Annotator Player All timings related to this webcast There was 18% (10/55) absenteeism at this meeting, which is utterly disgraceful.

2 “Hidden” homelessness in the UK: evidence review – Office for National Statistics

3 This debate reflects the councillors that Havering has See Havering’s Councillors: The Democratic Deficit in Action – Politics in Havering

4 JSNA Demography Chapter 2023 v0.3A.pdf p54 HRA opposed housing selling for million plus. See New Homes for Sale | Kings Green, Upminster Development See also The sale of ‘Hall Lane Pitch and Putt’: Conservative Revenge? – Politics in Havering