I began my day by meeting with the Director of the Shpresa Programme, an organization that promotes the participation and contributions of the Albanian-speaking community in the UK, and based in Mansfield House in Canning Town. We discussed the excellent job that the programme does in helping members of its community into work, and ways in which we could help the programme to solve some problems faced by its members, especially the lack of an Albanian language GCSE option. Finally we spoke about two very pleasant topics: an opportunity for the Jack Petchey Award winners in their community, who have excelled in serving their community, to come and visit me at the Treasury, and the celebrations of the organization’s seventh birthday, which I will be co-hosting.

From there I travelled to the Newham Council building to attend a planning meeting regarding a nightclub on Romford Road that the manager and owner intends to convert into a bed and breakfast hotel. I wish him every success in continuing his business’ profitability, and strongly support East Ham’s small business owners in this turbulent time.

Following this I travelled to meet the Borough Commander at the Forest Gate Police Station. We spoke about the good work they have been doing – knife crime is down 9%, gun crime is down 30% on the same period last year – and the challenges they are facing. There has been a rise in burglaries recently, but with new funding that is incoming and the hard work of our officers, I am sure we will see an improvement in this area. We also discussed the new Safer Neighbourhoods Team base that is finally Being set up in Beckton Asda. This is something I have been following closely, and it will be good to see the area reap the benefits of a base that is closer to the community it serves.

Next up was a visit to the Bakers Court Nursing Centre, a BUPA care home in Manor Park. It was a pleasure to meet some of the residents and hear their stories of life in the borough. It was interesting too to discuss the care homes business with the Regional Director, who was in attendance.

A meeting with a representative of the Studio Schools trust was next on the agenda, and it was exciting to hear about this innovative, work-focused approach to schooling which it is hoped will soon be brought to Newham. By engaging practical learners in project-based tasks, the Studio Schools project aims to engage disaffected teens for whom mainstream schooling may be difficult.

As the day drew to a close, I went over to the Beckton Globe for an advice surgery with my constituents.