Upcoming hustings: which candidate will truly stand up for Queen’s Market?

Do candidates mean what they say, or is the real story unfolding behind closed doors?

After more than twenty years of campaigning, our community street market is still sadly under threat. Friends of Queen’s Market have always depended on community strength and the goodwill of local residents, traders, and shoppers – and once again, we find ourselves at that familiar point in the political cycle.

Recent interviews with the main political parties suggest plans to demolish the market building. This would impact thousands of families who rely on it for affordable fresh food and as an important social space. Meanwhile, councillors based in more affluent parts of Newham seem disconnected from the realities of the cost-of-living crisis, all while being funded by the public. It raises an important question: who is holding them accountable, and are they truly serving the community?

You can watch the recent REVIVE FM Newham Mayoral Elections recording below [Queen’s Market is mentioned 1:07:50 onwards]:

Newham Council Elections – Community Hustings

Hear from the prospective candidates on the following dates (in-person gathering)

Tuesday 28th April 2026 at 6.30pm
Held at: Clapton Community Football Club, The Old Spotted Dog Ground, Walter Tull Way, 212 Upton Lane, London E7 9NP (Nearest stations: Forest Gate, Upton Park)

Saturday 2nd May 2026 at 4pm
Held at: Tate Institute, 1 Wythes Rd, London E16 2DN (Nearest station: London City Airport)
Sign up to attend here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/newham-mayoral-community-hustings-tickets-1987663387699
Stalls and activities from 2pm. Hustings start 4pm. Finish 6:30pm. Food and kids activities provided

_{Groups involved: London Renters Union, The Magpie Project, Newham Muslim Forum, Respace, PEACH, The Women in Newham Network, Newham Trades Council, Save Newham Libraries, Born Everywhere Made in Newham, Friends of Queen’s Market and Newham Poetry Group and more TBA}

FACTS about Newham show why residents need the market!

– The poverty rate is one of the highest in London: the market helps alleviate poverty.

– 45% of children are in families with below 60% of the average income: Queen’s Market provides for hungry families.

– More households in temporary accommodation than most other boroughs (59 per 1000): vulnerable families need to eat, so come to shop at Queen’s Market.

– Unemployment higher than average: the market provides jobs to heads of families, and for women too.

– Life expectancy is lower than average: Queen’s Market provides access to fresh affordable culturally-appropriate food

Some Candidates are talking about ‘developing the market’. FACTS ALSO SHOW that property developers will not protect or safeguard the market for the future. Their business is PROFIT for themselves, not the wellbeing of Newham’s residents. Developers already own land all over Newham.

WE NEED A MAYOR AND COUNCILLORS WHO will commit to PROTECTING the Market and what it is here for – no gentrification, no pushing local people and businesses out.

Position of political parties

LABOUR – The Labour Council under Mayor Fiaz has not looked after the market or managed it well. Even with a £7 million grant, promises were not kept and the money has been spent very badly. The Council’s Local Plan puts tall buildings on the site – our market would not survive that.

NEWHAM INDEPENDENTS – Councillors Mehmood Mirza (Boleyn ward) and Sophia Naqvi (Plaistow North ward) have consistently supported Queen’s Market.

GREEN PARTY – Councillors Danny Keeling and Nate Higgins have supported Queen’s Market. Zoe Garbett (Green member in the London Assembly) has supported the market.

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS – Good ideas on democracy but their plans are uncertain.

CONSERVATIVE, REFORM – Regarding the market, their polices would most likely benefit developers, not residents.

FRIENDS OF QUEEN’S MARKET SAYS: “LABOUR HAS NOT LISTENED TO THE PEOPLE. LABOUR HAS IGNORED OUR NEEDS. THE COUNCIL MUST HAVE MORE VOICES AND BE MORE DEMOCRATIC. WE NEED A CHANGE.”

You couldn’t make it up!

What’s perhaps most concerning is that Newham’s former Labour mayor – often labelled by critics as overly controlling – has now aligned himself with the ‘far-right’ Reform UK party. Yes, that’s right, “Sir” Robin Wales (robbin’ us dry!), alongside Councillor Clive Furness, who is standing as the Reform mayoral candidate. Wales held power in Newham for 23 years, first as Leader of the Council from 1995 to 2002, and then as the directly elected Mayor from 2002 to 2018, until his deselection in March 2018. His ego clearly has the better of him, and he’s back under another ‘dodgy’ outfit. Many residents feel that the current challenges facing Newham are closely tied to decisions made during his leadership, with some of his former allies now seeking to return to positions of power.

Disturbing divisive politics from the far-right “weasels”: (Left-right) Clive Furness, “Sir” Robin Wales, and slippery national figure Nigel Farage, whose surname suggests his ancestry is foreign, but he does not want other hard-working people to call London, England or the United Kingdom home… seriously?!

“There is something rotten at the core of the main party politics inside of Newham. These people who have joined a ‘far-right’ political party while when in power (under Labour) ate greedily from the public pocket – from our collective taxes. It’s shocking that they feel they can get away with this kind of behaviour”, says Abdullah Isaiah born and bred East Londoner.

Pulling the wool over your eyes

Over the past few years, what we’ve observed in Newham is a pattern of superficial engagement – consultations and listening exercises that appear to invite collaboration, but in reality fall short of genuine co-creation. Instead of meaningful involvement, the process gives only the impression of participation while delivering the opposite. This is an illusion of democracy.

We ask people to walk around the post-2012 Olympic site and see for themselves – after 14 years, where are the homes local people can actually afford on the Olympics site? Where are the genuinely affordable shops? How much public money and investment is really reaching the community? Because from where we stand, those benefits are nowhere to be seen.

_{Image (above): “Don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes” is an idiom that means do not let someone trick, deceive, or hoodwink you. It advises someone to be cautious, pay attention, and not allow others to manipulate them or hide the truth.}

FoQM say: when you go to vote, choose people power and change that truly protects our community and public spaces that hold the community together, like Queen’s Market.

Newham is London’s most diverse borough, and this moment will help determine whether the next generation can afford to stay – whether they can access homes promised as part of the post-Olympics legacy, and meet the everyday costs of living.

Queen’s Market celebrates diversity, unity and anti-racism, and has become a real litmus test for prospective candidates towards understanding Newham’s citizens: if they can’t commit to protecting it, what exactly are they standing for?

_{Image (above): FoQM remind you to bring along your photo ID when voting in-person.}

Freedom of Information (FOI) request reveals underspend

The Good Growth fund appears to have been allocated to someplace else without consultation

Newham Council’s failure with the “co-create” process saw £3million+ of public funds (wasted on a website that nobody can navigate properly) resulted in hefty payments to private consultants, and a failure to consult traders and shoppers at Queen’s Market properly. It appears that traders and well-meaning citizens who have had to endure the arduous co-create process, struggling through endless (boring) online meetings have been further ignored – SORRY PEOPLE, LOOKS LIKE THERE’S NO NEW FLOORING FOR QUEEN’S MARKET – so much for a new kind of citizenship.

After months and years of what was to be meaningful dialogue, it appears Newham Council has simply co-created the pigeon netting.

_{Photo above: the “co create” process has resulted in new pigeon netting, designed to keep pigeons out – hang on, is that a family of pigeons we see inside the netting?}

The lack of thoughtful understanding, imagination, willpower or care for the borough’s assets by the Council has meant an underspend of over £1million that was secured to improve Queen’s Market, a grant given by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Mayor of London’s office under the Good Growth fund.

A sitting Councillor recently stated the following: “Following weeks of research and negotiation a solution was found. Newham Council was able to obtain £700,000 from the GLA’s Good Growth Fund which was to be returned as it wasn’t required by the Council’s Queen’s Market scheme for which it was previously destined.” (Source: Newham 65 blog. 8 April 2024)

SO it appears that Newham Council, Newham’s Mayor, GLA member and certain opportunistic Councillors have reallocated Queen’s Market’s budget to another recent embarrassment for the Council – to Stratford Market Village, a semi-privatised entity. For those who don’t know, Stratford Market Village (formally Inshops located inside Stratford Centre) was closed on January 10th where traders were forced to vacate with just 1 hour’s notice: traders say fresh goods and meat were left rotting inside of storage. This follows on from historic handovers of public property to private companies from Stratford Centre, Groupe Geraud UK, Stratford Market Properties Limited and Unex Group: the process of rampant privatisation started by Newham Council has meant the traders were left with next to no safeguards in their trading contracts.

While Friends of Queen’s Market support the traders and plight of Stratford’s Market Village traders, we think the lack of transparency and DECISIONS BEING MADE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS has meant that Queen’s Market has been left short-changed: it’s believed that £700k from the Good Growth fund has been reallocated without consultation, and is a “kick in the teeth” of those residents and traders who took part in the co create process that was to deliver better quality flooring and other improvements at Queen’s Market.

FoQM know that Queen’s Market makes profits that pay for local jobs eg. look at the huge number of market inspectors, and Queen’s often subsidises other street markets in the borough, but here is a classic example of Newham Council repackaging its failures as a success.

_{Images above (2): Flyers from the Stratford Market Village campaign go to explain a non-existent Olympics Legacy in Stratford and a land grab ie. privatisation of public land for private developers who are “making a killing” as locals live in adverse poverty and neglect by their own public servants, paid for by their collective taxes.}

_{Photo above: QUICK TO TAKE THE CREDIT. Traders at Stratford’s Market Village were unsure of who to thank for the reopening of their businesses as not everyone was told that the money was coming from the Queen’s Market Good Growth budget.}

Through Citizens Assemblies local people were to co-create something, but the process was accused of being overly complicated and excluded local people. Recently this was repackaged under the new banner of “People Powered Places” – same charade, different guise.

_{Photo above: disempowered-looking Stratford Market Village traders who have experienced major disruptions to their family businesses during a cost-of-living crisis, while Newham Council continues to toy around with public finances – that’s our collective taxes they’re playing with!}

While Newham Council repackages its failures as a success, its Queen’s Market they have forgotten to thank.

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.}