Unfair rent rises + budget meeting shambles

On a wet Thursday 29 February Friends of Queen’s Market, their supporters including the Stratford Market Village traders held a demonstration at the Old Town Hall against rent rises that are due to increase at Queen’s Market by around 6.5%. “It’s well over inflation and we haven’t seen any improvements nor benefit to the market traders” said one longtime trader at Queen’s Market.

FoQM were there to also show solidarity with the Stratford Market Village traders who had spent months without a job as their family businesses was forcefully closed, where meat and fresh goods perished having not been allowed access.

The Mayor of Newham begun the budget meeting somewhat blaming the public gallery and their political oppositions for all sorts including for sending Tweets (!). Like most Council meetings these days they are full of endless platforming of the Councillors, and it was very boring for most people who attended. The public were only able to speak for a few minutes each, and the frustration overspilled. Newham is one of the poorest boroughs in UK with families experiencing adverse poverty, so naturally the expenditure and public budget affects these communities acutely. There were to be cutbacks in spending and public services. Where local people were given hardly any chance to speak, the Council decided to eject the public gallery from the budget meeting. An FoQM member witnessed hard-handed aggression from the security guards against visitors, including one person who said that their wrist had been twisted by the security.

“We are not even allowed to witness democracy in Newham without being treated like criminals”, said a local resident whose first time it was to a budget meeting.

Following the meeting, we are told that a few local activists were arrested under what sounds very much like false allegations. FoQM saw no major disruption at all, nor targeting of any individuals, instead the public gallery witnessed a sitting Councillor riling up the audience each time they got up to speak.

_{Photo above: LIGHTS LEFT ON at Stratford’s Old Town Hall while local people have to suffer from cutbacks to public services and increase in energy bills.}

_{Photo above: Campaigns join forces to send a message of NO CUTBACKS. Any budget shortfalls will affect the Newham’s hard-working communities the most.}