‘People Want Change’-Greens Offer Change for the Better And Will Contest every seat in May.

Havering Green Party have launched their “Change for the Better” ​​campaign for the May 7th local elections, fielding candidates with a strong mix of experience, local knowledge and community commitment in every council seat.

“People are telling us that they’re ready to make a change from the Conservatives and Labour”, said Mark Whiley, Chair of Havering Green Party. “That’s why we’ve built a team of Greens with real-world experience across business, tech, finance, healthcare, education and community work to give people a real choice at the next election.”

Havering Greens wider platform is available on their website, but their key three focuses are:

Drive local growth and council efficiency

● Help local firms bid for council work, as well as other educational and healthcare providers, to create jobs, boost trade, reduce contractor travel distances, and increase the take in business rates.

● Make sure outsourced contracts are tightly monitored for value and results.

● Use technology to cut waste — but protect frontline services and accessibility of services for those that are less tech literate.

Cleaner and greener Havering

● Safeguard Havering’s Green Belt through reform of the Local Plan, and refusing inappropriate use of planning tools such as Local Development Orders.

● Act urgently to protect the future of the borough’s allotments.

● Introduce a free, fixed date, seasonal bulky waste collection that saves fuel and labour costs and reduces household flytips – modelled on Basildon’s ‘The Crunch’.

● Better enforcement on idling cars, illegal parking and fly-tipping.

● Work with partner organisations to restore our tree cover to 2018 levels.

● Review the borough’s Biodiversity and Active Travel plans, and improve upon the Air Quality strategy.

Keep power locally

● No to Reform’s plan to hand Havering to government commissioners. Last year, Reform’s Chair said they wanted the council to not pass a budget and bring in commissioners to make cuts and raise taxes. Elected councillors will no longer be accountable to the public as they won’t make the decisions. This month they’ve said they will “attempt not to borrow”. Without a strategy to build council and community wealth, as we have, no government loan means not passing a budget.

● Bring back publicly raised petitions and public questions to council meetings.

● Elected Green councillors will hold ward surgeries.

Mark added, “Our credible and wide-ranging agenda is at its core about improving quality of life in Havering, social responsibility, and protecting the environment”.

The Greens say Havering faces serious financial pressure after 14 years of central government cuts and a lack of willingness to reform either social care funding or the formula behind the local government funding settlement.

“Those who put us in that position, the political establishment, just completed their hostile takeover of Reform. The former Reform Romford Chair has been thrown out. They advocate for further decline and handing power to government commissioners. In contrast, we have a lot of pride in this borough and want it to stay in local hands. Greens will provide stability and an option of change for the better.”

Havering Green Party has selected the following campaigners to contest all 55 seats in the borough:

● Beam Park Ward – Lois Doo, Tito Mogaji

● Cranham Ward – Ben Hollis, Peter Caton, Sarah Haider

● Elm Park Ward – Gheorghe Zugravu, Kim Arrowsmith, Sami Rahman

● Emerson Park Ward – Ghazala Ansari, Linda Pollard

● Gooshays Ward – Alexander Short, Daljit Jutla, Marissa Jewell

● Hacton Ward – Ajay Rayaprolu, Graham Hayfield

● Harold Wood Ward – Anish Kotari, Christopher Silverwood, Marion Sanders

● Havering-atte-Bower Ward – AJ Reid, Katy Bradbury, Kurt Bowers

● Heaton Ward – Aziz Mogaji, Callum Lewis, Carole Beth

● Hylands and Harrow Lodge Ward – Erin Bush, Erin Hickman, Sami Khan

● Marshalls and Rise Park Ward – Christopher Strange, Rustam Wahab, Tope Olawoyin

● Mawneys Ward – Daniel Nichols, Manon Delaune, Mubasher Khan

● Rainham and Wennington Ward – Erin Mansfield, Hamza Anwar, Mark Yetton

● Rush Green and Crowlands Ward – Angelina Leatherbarrow, Beth Winslow, Kelly-Louise Edwards

● South Hornchurch Ward – Henry Mcaneny, Ruth Kettle-Frisby

● Squirrels Heath Ward – Madhu Devershetty, Mark Whiley, Richard Killip

● St. Albans Ward – Eugene McCarthy, Laurence Solkin

● St. Andrews Ward – Felix Katzenmeier, Keira Gomez, Tia Lancaster

● St. Edwards Ward – Alexandra Betkowska, Kieron Thomson-Turnage, Scott Donovan

● Upminster Ward – Noel Richardson, Riley Rogers, Rowan Elworthy

The Havering Council elections will take place on May 7th 2026, with all council seats up for election.

Residents wishing to learn more about the Havering Green Party policy platform or candidates in their area can view our new website at http://www.havering.greenparty.org.uk.

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