Terri Bloore: Why I am standing to be Mayor of Newham

Terri Bloore is the Conservative candidate for Mayor of Newham.

I like a challenge, I always have. I work hard and am ambitious in my plans – my career to date proves that. So, I have thrown my hat in the ring for Mayor of Newham, despite the odds. Yes, the odds are really stacked against me, but I, like most of the British, like the underdog. I also truly believe the time is right in Newham for change.

Newham is one of the capital’s most culturally diverse and rapidly growing communities and grappling with its fair share of social, economic, and administrative challenges. These issues range from deep-rooted housing crises and ballooning public expenditure to strains on public services and living standards. For many residents, these challenges are not abstract statistics but lived realities that shape everyday life.

Just as a reminder for those of you who are less au fait with the East London borough stats, Labour has controlled Newham Council and all its predecessors since at least 1930, with the party has won 90 per cent of seats or more in every local
election since 1978. Yet recently Labour has faced significant by-election losses, leading to discussions about potential vulnerability ahead of the May 2026 election.

Indeed, Newham narrowly escaped bankruptcy, having to resort to drawing up a crisis strategy that includes asking the government for extra help and permission to increase Council Tax by nine per cent – one of the highest in the country. This has hugely affected the services and necessary support that the Borough can offer residents. Under Labour’s watch, Newham now holds the dubious title of Littering Capital of the UK, one of the highest rates of knife crime in London and is one of the most deprived boroughs.

The current Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, has rightly announced she is stepping down, yet it has not stopped Labour flouting “Leadership you can rely on” in a pamphlet I had through the door of my Newham flat. You couldn’t make it up!

Labour, as we know, has never been strong on the economy, but this financial mismanagement takes the biscuit. So, what do I plan to do about it, you may ask?

My campaign will be driven to bring back financial trust in Newham Council. I believe a thriving local economy and resilient neighbourhoods go hand in hand — with successful businesses creating jobs, investment and opportunity, while strong communities. I believe we need to bring investment into Newham, which will bring back pride and as a result cleaner, safer streets.

I want to rebuild financial trust and transparency through efficient management and reducing wasteful spending. Just one example of how I would do this is by selling of Newham Dockside, the Council Building that Labour spent £111 million on, yet stands practically empty. A business that doesn’t take regular inventory, of course, will go bust and we need to look at all efficiencies large and small to make these savings. Services will need to be evaluated and front-line services will be prioritised to reducing the financial burden on residents.

Once such vital service that has been woefully under supported is our police. We need more police on our streets to deal with anti-social behaviour and crime. More police presence, will ensure criminals are prosecuted and fined and residents feel safe. We can also deal with fare dodgers too who seemingly go scott-free when our stations are left unmanned.

I truly believe that by improving street cleanliness through quicker response times and tougher penalties for repeat offenders of fly tipping, we can quickly bring back pride onto our streets, and again bring money back into the borough.

We need to be prioritising the development of housing for residents, addressing the high number of households in temporary accommodation, and support for leaseholders who are held over a barrel by management fees.

Finally, I believe in my heart that we must support local businesses in Newham and boost the economy. We can only do this by abolishing business rates.

The challenges are not easy overcome, it will require some uncomfortable moments assessing what we really need and what is nice to have. Newham has extraordinary potential but has never witnessed the opportunities that a Conservative led council could bring. It is a shame and we have seen this in the mishandling of the Borough in the past decades. With the right leadership, we can support local businesses, restore trust in local government, and build communities where people feel safe, listened to and proud to live.

I know we can do this, I know the Conservative values of fairness, equality and good work ethic will make Newham a place businesses and residents are proud of again.