Newham

London Borough of Newham
Shown within Greater London
Geography
Status	London Borough
Area — Total	Ranked 298th 36.22 km2 (14.0 sq mi)
ONS code	00BB
Admin HQ	East Ham
Demographics
Population — Total (2008 est.) — Density	Ranked 51st (of 326) 249,500 6,890 /km2 (17,845 /sq mi)
Ethnicity White British White Irish Other White White & Black Caribbean White & Black African White & Asian Other Mixed Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi Other Asian Black Caribbean Black African Other Black Chinese Other	(2005 estimates)[1] 32.6% 1.1% 5.4% 1.2% 0.8% 0.8% 0.9% 12.1% 8.7% 9.0% 12.7% 6.7% 12.7% 1.1% 1.4% 2.4%
Politics
Newham London Borough Council
Leadership	Mayor & Cabinet
Mayor	Sir Robin Wales
Executive	Labour
MPs	Lyn Brown Jim Fitzpatrick Stephen Timms
London Assembly — Member	City and East John Biggs
Coat of Arms
Official website	http://www.newham.gov.uk/

The London Borough of Newham (pronounced /ˈnjuː.əm/ ( listen)) is a London borough in East London, within Greater London.

It is situated 5 miles (8 km) east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the districts in the country, with no particular ethnic group dominating.

History

The borough was formed by merging the former area of the Essex county borough of East Ham and the county borough of West Ham as a borough of the newly formed Greater London, on 1 April 1965. Green Street marks the former boundary between the two. North Woolwich also became part of the borough (previously being in the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich, in the County of London) along with a small area west of the River Roding which had previously been part of the Municipal Borough of Barking. Newham was devised for the borough as an entirely new name.^[2]

Governance

Unlike most English districts, its council is led by a directly-elected mayor, Since 2002, one of the councillors has been appointed as the "civic ambassador", and has performed the civic and ceremonial role previously carried out by the mayor but this post was recently discontinued.^[3]

Although statistically counted as part of Inner London, the borough is still considered part of Outer London for purposes such as funding. This is because the majority of Newham was not part of the 1889-1965 County of London. However, much of the borough has historically formed part of London's built-up area and economically it is one of the more deprived districts. The council is actively campaigning to have Newham officially considered part of Inner London for all purposes in order to increase its level of government grant by £60 million. Newham is a challenging borough in a number of ways and currently has the second lowest recycling rate in the United Kingdom.^[4]

Newham has 60 councillors, of whom 54 are from the Labour Party (UK), 3 are from the Christian Peoples' Alliance and 3 are from Respect. As the 2010 Municipal Elections approach there have been some changes of party by existing councillors.

Demography

Newham has the highest young population and one of the lowest white British populations in the country according to the 2001 Census. The borough has the second highest percentage of Muslims in Britain (24.3%).

When using Simpson's Diversity Index on 10 aggregated ethnic groups, the 2001 census identified Newham as the most ethnically diverse district in England and Wales, with 9 wards in the top 15.^[5] However, when using the 16 ethnic categories in the Census so that White Irish and White Other ethnic minorities are also included in the analysis, Newham becomes the 2nd most ethnically diverse borough^[6] with 6 out of the top 15 wards, behind Brent with 7 out of the top 15 wards.

The main ethnic groups are Whites and Asians. Based on 2006 estimates by the ONS, over 39% of the population is White (32.6% White British, White Irish 1.1% and other 5%) 38% is Asian (12.2% Indian, 10% Bangladeshi, 8.9% Pakistani and other Asian 5.1%), 20% is Black (6.5% Caribbean, 12.4% African and 1.1% other Black), and 1.6% are Chinese and 2.6% are other ethnic groups.^[7]

Notable local residents

Trade Unionist Vic Turner who was jailed as the leader of the Pentonville 5. A former Communist Party member, after his retirement in 1994 Vic joined the Labour Party just in time to be elected as a Councillor for the former Bemersyde Ward in the Municipal elections of that year. Later in his term as a Councillor Vic was elected by Labour Group (and therefore the Council) as a Ceremonial Mayor of Newham. This largely ceremonial post (now known as the "Civic Ambassador") is of course not to be confused with the far more significant one of Elected Mayor, whereby the incumbent (who has serious and useful political power) is elected by far wider electorate of the whole Borough.

• Actor Perry Fenwick, who has played Billy Mitchell in EastEnders from 1998.

• Actor Billy Murray, who has played Don Beech in The Bill and Johnny Allen in EastEnders.

• 1960s model Celia Hammond.

• Actor and professional Cockney Danny Dyer, who has appeared in films including Human Traffic and The Football Factory.

• Actress Carol Harrison who played Louise Raymond in EastEnders during the late 1990s.

• Athlete Christine Ohuruogu.

• Basketball paralympian and TV presenter Ade Adepitan

• Actor Idris Elba, star of The Wire and Obsessed.

• Actor, Jimmy Akingbola

Singer and actor, David Essex

Scriptwriter (notably of 'Til death us do part", Johnny Speight

• Athlete, Mohammed Farah

• Footballer, Dennis Oli

• Footballer, Jermain Defoe

• Rapper Kano

• Bond girl, Honor Blackman

• Rapper Ghetto

Education

Schools and colleges

The Borough is the education authority for the district providing education in a mix of Foundation, community and voluntary aided schools.^[8]

University

The University of East London has two campuses within Newham, these are:

• the Stratford Campus, at Stratford
• the Docklands Campus, next to the regenerated Royal Albert Dock

Birkbeck Stratford is a collaborative project between Birkbeck, University of London and UEL to increase participation in adult learning. This is currently based on the UEL Stratford campus, but is planned to move to its own facilities.

Places of interest

Newham Town Hall in East Ham (E6)

Community

• The Hub, a revolutionary community resource centre built by the local community, in Star Lane, E16, featuring up to the minute "green" features
• Grassroots, also built by the local community and another revolutionary green resource centre built by the community. Grass Roots is in Memorial Recreation Ground, E15.

Libraries

Newham has 10 libraries (Beckton, Canning Town, Custom House, East Ham, Green Street, Manor Park, North Woolwich, Plaistow, Stratford and Forest Gate) and 1 mobile library.

Canning Town Library was first opened in 1893 and still operates in the original building on Barking Road (albeit with repairs and a reconstructed interior following damage sustained in air raids in 1940 and 1941.)Its opening hours are Monday,Tuesday & Saturday: 9:30am–5:30pm, Wednesday & Sunday: Closed, Thursday-Friday: 7:00am–6:00pm.^[9]

Museums

• North Woolwich Old Station Museum
• Three Mills, a mill complex on the east bank of the River Lee. A trading site for nearly a thousand years, the House Mill was built in 1776 and was (and remains) the country's largest tide mill. It has been restored and contains much of its original machinery including four large waterwheels, millstones and grain chutes.

Markets

There are a number of local markets in the Borough. The Council wants to improve and develop Queens Market (in Upton Park). The new development will include housing provision, shops, an upgraded and sanitary market,and new Council Local Service Centre and Library. These proposals are being fought by Friends of Queens Market.

Parks and open spaces

Performance

• St. Mark's Church, Silvertown The church was designed by Samuel Saunders Teulon. It was built between 1861 and 1862 after a cholera epidemic swept the district and local clergy appealed through the columns of The Times for funds to provide an architectural, as well as spiritual, beacon for the area. It is now the home of the Brick Lane Music Hall.
• Stratford Circus
• Theatre Royal Stratford East

Vibrant Green Street where the population is predominantly South Asian

Shopping and exhibitions

• Queen's Market, Upton Park - London's most lively and ethnically diverse market.
• ExCeL Exhibition Centre- major exhibitions such as the Motor Show are now held at ExCeL.
• Gallions Reach Shopping Park Out of town retail park
• Green Street, the largest shopping centre catering for the Asian community in London^[10]
• Stratford Shopping Centre, a shopping centre which includes a small market and typical chainstores.

Sport

• Newham is host borough for the 2012 Summer Olympics. As a result it has been undergoing major upheavals, especially in the north of the borough, which are anticipated to end in around 2016. The borough hopes to gain many advantages for its residents during that period. At the same time. the new Westmount Shopping Centre, next to the Olympic Village, will have an even greater effect on the borough when it is completed well before the Olympics.
• West Ham United Football Club is at Upton Park

Newspapers

The local newspaper is the Newham Recorder^[11] and is edited by Colin Grainger.

Districts

Logo on the roadside at sunset

• Beckton
• Canning Town
• Custom House
• East Ham
• Forest Gate
• Little Ilford
• Manor Park
• North Woolwich (pronounced /ˈwʊlɪtʃ/ or /ˈwʊlɪdʒ/)
• Plaistow (pronounced /ˈplɑːstoʊ/)
• Silvertown
• Stratford
• Upton Park
• West Ham

Transport

Transport in Newham is undergoing a major upgrade, with the completed Docklands Light Railway and Jubilee Line Extension, with new or improved stations at Canning Town, West Ham and Stratford. Stratford International station on High Speed 1 is due to open in 2009. The Crossrail scheme will also improve rail connections to several stations in the borough. The Docklands Light Railway was extended to serve London City Airport.

List of stations

• Beckton DLR station
• Beckton Park DLR station
• Cyprus DLR station
• Canning Town station - Jubilee Line and DLR
• Custom House station - DLR
• East Ham tube station - District and Hammersmith & City Lines
• Forest Gate railway station - National Express
• Gallions Reach DLR station
• King George V DLR station
• London City Airport DLR station
• Manor Park railway station - National Express
• Maryland railway station - National Express
• Plaistow tube station - District and Hammersmith & City Lines
• Pontoon Dock DLR station
• Prince Regent DLR station
• Royal Albert DLR station
• Royal Victoria DLR station
• Stratford station - National Express, c2c, Jubilee Line, Central Line, London Overground and DLR
• Pudding Mill Lane DLR station
• Upton Park tube station - District and Hammersmith & City Lines
• Wanstead Park railway station - London Overground
• West Ham station - c2c, Jubilee, District and Hammersmith & City Lines
• West Silvertown DLR station
• Woodgrange Park railway station - London Overground

International services

• Dutchflyer rail-sea service via Stratford station
• London City Airport
• Stratford International station (opening 2009, despite trains from 2007^[12])

See also

• Newham parks and open spaces
• Newham Sixth Form College
• Stratford Circus
• Stratford, London
• Stratford City
• Thames Gateway
• Rising East

References and notes

External links

• Newham London Borough Council
• Mayor of Newham
• NIMS - Statistics on Newham
• Newham Issues Forum - online local discussions
• Aston-Mansfield- charity started in 1884
• Community Links - innovative charity running community-based projects
• Newham Labour Party - website of the Labour Party in Newham
• Rising East: the journal of East London studies
• Newham Story - memories of Newham

v • d • e London Borough of Newham Districts Beckton · Canning Town · Cyprus · East Ham · Forest Gate · Manor Park · Maryland · North Woolwich · Plaistow · Silvertown · Stratford · Upton Park · West Ham Attractions ExCeL · London City Airport · Royal Docks · Thames Barrier · Theatre Royal · West Ham Park Markets East Ham · Queens Road · Rathbone Market · Stratford Shopping Constituencies East Ham · West Ham · Poplar and Canning Town Parks and open spaces in Newham

Coordinates: 51°31′N 0°02′E / 51.517°N 0.033°E / 51.517; 0.033