The Newham Council meeting scheduled for 10 November 2025 included discussion of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s work programme, a themed report on growth, and the East London Joint Waste Plan. Councillors were also expected to discuss motions relating to housing and developer contributions, and to answer questions from both the public and council members. The council was also scheduled to hear from Sunder Katwala of British Futures on the work of the Commission for the Future of Belonging & Inclusion in Newham.

Motions

The meeting's agenda included two motions for consideration.

Green Group Motion: Rejecting the Developer Giveaway, Supporting Council Homes and Community Wealth

Councillor Areeq Chowdhury, seconded by Councillor Nate Higgins, was scheduled to propose a motion concerning developer contributions and affordable housing. The motion notes the government and Mayor of London's Support for Housebuilding in London package (October 2025), which temporarily halves borough Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) rates for schemes providing over 20% affordable housing, and relaxes design and density standards.

The motion states that Newham Council has played a significant role in delivering social and affordable homes, delivering an average of 1085 affordable, social, and other discounted homes per year between 2020/21 and 2022/23. It also notes that Newham collected over £4 million in CIL receipts in 2023–24 and invested more than £12 million in local infrastructure.

The Green Group motion states the belief that the Support for Housebuilding in London package prioritises developer profit over public good, weakens local autonomy, and undermines Newham's democratically agreed housing and community priorities. It resolves to oppose any reduction in borough-level CIL in Newham, reaffirm Newham's target that at least 50% of homes in major developments be for council rent, and call on the government and Mayor of London to legislate to end Right to Buy¹ or allow boroughs to opt out permanently, establish a national buy-back fund, consider a Land Value Tax², review borrowing rates for local authorities, implement a Wealth Tax³, restrict speculative buy-to-let and short-term letting, enable rent controls, and lift borrowing caps to enable large-scale publicly-built zero-carbon council housing.

An amendment to this motion was submitted by the Labour Party. The amended motion recognises the impact of the current housebuilding crisis and the need to urgently deliver homes. It also recognises the changes in legislation the Labour government has brought in on Right to Buy, and the measures in the Renters Reform Bill brought into law in October 2025. The amended motion resolves to review the allocation of borough-level CIL in Newham, ensure that renters in Newham are made aware of their rights under the new Renters Reform Act, and reaffirm Newham's commitment to a housing and development strategy that puts the needs of Newham's residents and workers first.

Labour Group Motion: The Government's Announcement of the Pride in Place Funding for Newham

The agenda also included a Labour Group motion regarding the government's announcement of Pride in Place funding for Newham.

East London Joint Waste Plan

The council was scheduled to consider the East London Joint Waste Plan Regulation 19 Submission Plan. Officers were seeking approval from the council to submit the plan to the Secretary of State, as the formal process of submission and adoption is the responsibility of the full council.

Questions

The agenda included questions from both the public and council members.

Public Question

Shabd Pyari submitted a question regarding the Royal Victoria Dock footbridge, linking Silvertown with Custom House. The lifts on the bridge have been out of service for several years, making the bridge inaccessible for many. Ms Pyari asked what the council is doing, along with the GLA's Royal Docks Team and the developer, Lendlease, to fix the lifts in the short term and push the new bridge project forward in the medium term.

The published response notes that the Royal Victoria Dock Footbridge is owned and maintained by the Royal Docks Management Authority (RoDMA). Despite ongoing repair efforts, the costs became prohibitive, and a decision was made to close the lifts in March 2023. The Greater London Authority (GLA) entered into an agreement with The Silvertown Partnership (TSP), the development consortium delivering Silvertown Quays. Under this agreement, TSP will fund upgrades to the existing bridge.

In September 2025, the Council's Cabinet agreed to allocate £6.9m of Section 106⁴ funding to support delivery of a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the dock. Construction is expected to start in early 2027, with the bridge opening to the public by summer 2029.

Member Questions

Councillor James Beckles, Local Development Committee Chair, asked Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, of Newham, whether the community wealth building, regeneration, and communities teams would schedule more events in the Cundy Centre and the Shipman Youth Centre.

The Mayor's published response stated that there is already a wide range of valuable activities taking place across council departments and with wider partners in Custom House. The council is actively exploring ways to maximise the use of facilities at Shipman Youth Zone through enhanced collaboration with partners across the borough.

Councillor Nate Higgins, Green Group Leader, asked Councillor Amar Virdee, Deputy Mayor & Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Housing Need, Homelessness & Private Rented Sector, what the cabinet has done in the past twelve months to lobby the Government and build political support for rent controls in Newham.

Councillor Virdee's published response stated that Newham has been lobbying consistently for many years for changes like this and has supported the principle of rent controls for some time. He noted that Newham has been a leader in developing property licencing since 2013 and was the principal sponsor of the Centre for London report Licence to Let (May 2023). He also mentioned writing to Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, the Lords Minister for Housing and Local Government, expressing Newham's strong support for proposed amendments to the Renters' Rights Bill.

Councillor Danny Keeling, Deputy Leader of the Green Group and Green Group Business Manager, asked Mayor Fiaz how many genuinely affordable homes, at social rent, have actually been delivered in the past four years.

The Mayor's published response stated that since 2021, 1662 'low cost' homes have been delivered in the borough. To date 512 of these completions have come through the Council's Affordable Homes for Newham Programme, with 218 of the units delivered by Populo Living. The council has also purchased 230 homes from the open market which it is renting at a social rent in addition to those secured through planning. The council has set a target to ensure that of the around 5,000 new and replacements homes delivered on these schemes at least 50% will be genuinely affordable at social rent levels.

Themed Report: Growth with a Purpose: Homes, Jobs, and Inclusive Communities

The council was asked to note the recommendation in the Themed Report: Growth with a Purpose: Homes, Jobs, and Inclusive Communities.

Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme and Future Commissions

Councillor Lester Hudson, Chair of Overview and Scrutiny, was scheduled to provide updates on the committee's work programme and future commissions.