John Tyler – H.R.A Candidate for Cranham

The Havering Daily is running a list of the different candidates across Havering in preparation for the local elections on May 5.

Today we have John Tyler, an H.R.A Candidate for Cranham.

I was first elected as an Upminster and Cranham Residents’ Association (UCRA) councillor in
Cranham Ward in 2018, having never had any real involvement in politics prior to this.
Like many people, I have often felt that the way things are undertaken inside the council and how
some services are run aren’t what we would like them to be. Having given it some thought, I
decided that I wanted to see if I could help change that and so I applied to UCRA to stand as one of
their candidates. Although there was a lot to learn at the start, I had previous experience of
partnership work, liaising with various councils across north east London, including Havering, and
this helped a lot.

The last four years have been a whirl. At a local level, firstly there were the initial effects of Brexit,
and then the pandemic arrived. Add to that, our efforts over many months to try to save the
Upminster Mini-Golf Course from being sold off by the council and turned into housing, and our
successful campaign to bring back short-term free parking in our town centres, it has certainly been
a busy time.

My highlights have been helping individual people with issues relating to the work of the council.
My biggest frustration has been my inability (so far) to persuade Havering Council to undertake
major improvements to the alley leading between the Dury Falls Estate and Upminster Station. The
alley is a vital link, used by hundreds of people each day, and is simply not fit for purpose in its
current state.

Although my primary role is looking after the interests of Cranham Ward, it has been impossible not
to get involved in the wider political side of things.
Unlike previous councils, the current Conservative Administration quickly took on an adversarial
attitude towards opposition parties. There is rarely any consultation on any of their policy decisions,
and almost any opposition motion put before Full Council meetings is immediately met by a
Conservative amendment completely negating the issue we have raised. This attitude of
‘administration by attrition’ does the people of Havering a real disservice.

As well as representing the Upminster and Cranham Residents’ Association, I am also proud to be
part of the umbrella organisation of several RA groups, the Havering Residents Association
(H.R.A). So much work has been put in since we came together formally in 2019 and for the first
time ever, a single grouping of Residents Associations will be standing candidates all across
Havering.

We believe that local independent-minded people from different backgrounds, who have sensible,
well-thought-out policies should run our council, not the representatives of national political
parties, who always have one eye on keeping their political masters happy.
I strongly believe that with the support of the residents of Havering, we can achieve the remarkable
feat of being the first London council run by Independents. Other councils across the country have
successfully been run this way for years and there is no reason why we cannot do the same here.
Whether this happens or not, if I am fortunate enough to be re-elected in Cranham Ward, I will
continue to champion the great community we have in our area.

Cllr John Tyler
Upminster and Cranham Residents’ Association – Cranham Ward
Member of the Havering Residents Association (H.R.A)