We are delighted to share that Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE has joined the Thames Estuary Growth Board as its newest Board member.
Representing Local London, Mayor Fiaz will ensure the interests of boroughs in the north east and south east of the capital are integral to the Thames Estuary Growth Board’s fair, sustainable ambitions for economic growth.
Mayor Fiaz OBE, Mayor of Newham was appointed by her peers to represent the nine boroughs comprising Local London, a dynamic sub-region representing around 2.6 million residents and 100,000 businesses, to consolidate relationships with the Thames Estuary, the UK’s biggest growth opportunity.
The Mayor will be joining a highly accomplished board which includes Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor of London for Planning and Regeneration, Councillor Teresa O’Neill OBE, Leader of Bexley Council and Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Chair of Local London.
The board also boasts a diverse range of private sector leaders, including Devrim Celal, CEO of KrakenFlex, Gavin Chapman, Managing Director at Barclays, and Vera Kukic, Partner in IBM’s Strategy Consulting Business. Their collective expertise ensures a robust and dynamic approach to driving growth and innovation across the Thames Estuary region.
In addition to sharing geography, the Thames Estuary Growth Board and the Local London partnership are both committed to driving inclusive economic growth and regeneration, ensuring communities benefit from investment and opportunity.
Cllr Anthony Okereke, Chair of Local London and Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: “Our Local London boroughs are distinct from other parts of the capital. We have challenges, but also huge opportunities that are shared across the Thames Estuary region. We are all committed to driving sustainable and inclusive growth that benefits all of our communities, and I am delighted that Mayor Fiaz will represent our boroughs and continue our close connection with the Thames Estuary Growth Board.”
Kate Willard OBE, Thames Estuary Envoy and Chair of the Growth Board, said: “Mayor Fiaz’s commitment to fair growth and social impact aligns perfectly with our vision for the Thames Estuary. She is a proven leader who understands how to turn bold ideas into tangible benefits for local communities. We are thrilled to have her on board as we continue driving investment, infrastructure, and opportunity across the region.”
Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Mayor of Newham and representative of Local London, said: “The Thames Estuary, including the dynamic boroughs to the east of London, is central to the future prosperity of the whole country as we support the government’s national growth mission to drive better living standards through investment to build more homes and create jobs. I’m excited to be joining the Growth Board at such a crucial time and look forward to getting stuck in as we unlock the wealth of opportunities for communities across the Thames Estuary and accelerate sustainable development and fair growth.”
Mayor Fiaz’s appointment further strengthens the Growth Board’s partnership with London’s local authorities, ensuring that the voice of communities remains at the heart of its work to attract investment, drive innovation, and support fair growth.
Discover our Three Year Plan: Towards 2026
Notes to Editors:
About the Thames Estuary Growth Board
The Thames Estuary Growth Board is dedicated to unlocking the economic potential of the Thames Estuary. By fostering collaboration, driving investment, and spearheading innovative development projects, the Board is committed to transforming the Estuary into a thriving, sustainable, and economically vibrant region.
The Growth Board works to engage national and international investors, showcasing the Estuary’s potential as a prime location for investment. Through targeted initiatives, the board will highlight key development sites, foster investor relations, and drive forward the region’s economic prospects.
The Growth Board remains steadfast in its commitment to driving growth that is not only economically beneficial but also equitable and environmentally sustainable. Through these strategic initiatives and the dedicated support of our stakeholders, we are setting the stage for a brighter, more prosperous future for the Thames Estuary.
Find out more: www.thamesestuary.org.uk
Media Contact: Hannah Staunton, Director of Communications at the Thames Estuary Growth Board. Email: press@thamesestuary.org.uk
About Local London
Local London is a sub-regional partnership of nine boroughs: Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, Enfield, Greenwich, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.
Representing around 2.6 million residents and 100,000 businesses, we are a champion for this sub-region to ensure it responds to a set of mutual issues and challenges, and benefits from existing and emerging opportunities.
Find out more: www.local.london
Local London Media contact: helen.mckay@redbridge.gov.uk / 07796 837 411
About Mayor Fiaz
Rokhsana Fiaz OBE has served as Executive Mayor of Newham since May 2018, delivering her Building a Fairer Newham plan.
She is portfolio lead for Inclusive Economy, Strategic Housing Delivery and Culture, including community wealth building, place and economic regeneration, planning and development; and leads on the ambitious affordable social housing programme.
She is London Council’s Data and Innovation lead, co-chair of the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone and chair of the Local London Growth and Recovery Board. Previously she was CEO of an international UNESCO supported charity and has led large-scale capital projects for councils, European Commission and Council of Europe. In 2009 she was awarded the Order of the British Empire for services to Black and Minority Communities.
On 23 November, our team had the pleasure of attending the Newham Business Awards 2023, hosted by the Newham Chamber of Commerce.
The awards ceremony and gala dinner held at The Old Town Hall in Stratford, was an opportunity to celebrate some of the outstanding businesses in the borough.
Newham College, who deliver the Local London E-business programme in Newham, Havering, and Barking and Dagenham, sponsored the ‘E-Business of the year’ award. The category’s shortlist comprised some of the fabulous micro and small businesses who have been taken to the next level with help from the free programme, including winners on the night: OC Homes.
OC Homes (One Click Homes) was established by Newham born and raised brothers, Priyesh and Amar Upadhyaya, with an ambition to meet the needs of the growing property market in Newham, Waltham Forest and across East London. With an online focussed vision for the business from the outset, the pandemic accelerated their plans to go digital.
The judges were impressed with their dedication to developing a fully online business. Within the space of around 12 months, and with the help of the E-business Programme delivered by Newham College, they have done just that.
Tony Varghese, Sales Director, OC Homes said “The E-Business programme helped us to strive, mainly after Covid where the industry was in danger. Not being able to do viewings and do business as we usually would, we almost reset, started again and the programme helped us to do a lot of things that other agencies were not doing digitally, and it’s put us here where we are today. Serving people of Newham.”
Newham Business Awards 2023 – E-Business of the year
- OC Homes – winner
- KTCIC Architects – runner up
- Good Hotel London – runner up
Enjoy the same success as over 1600 businesses like yours
Over 1,600 local businesses in Newham, Barking and Dagenham and Havering are growing with free support from the E-business Programme delivered by Newham College, and the number is growing every month.
This support is fully-funded, meaning micro and SME business owners and sole traders who have been operational for over 6 months can get help to get more digital at no cost to them.
The programme begins with a consultation to get to you and your business, which is used to create a bespoke plan to help you achieve your ambitions. Through workshops, events and one-to-one training sessions you can learn how to market your business online, streamline processes, reach more customers and more.
Get in touch with the E-Business Programme delivered by Newham College
Where the team work:
- Newham – Main college campus location is in East Ham but the team can also be found at Solar House, Stratford or Institute of Technology, and The Grove, Our Newham
- Havering – Havering Town Hall, Romford BID and CEME
- Barking and Dagenham – Barking Library, Make It Barking
⇒ Visit newham.ac.uk/ebusiness to find out about the programme in Newham, Havering and Barking and Dagenham.
In a different borough? We’ve got you.
⇒ Visit South East Enterprise to find out about the programme in Greenwich, Bexley, Bromley
⇒ Visit Enterprise Enfield to find out about the programme in Enfield, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.
Related news
Read some of our E-business success stories.
Since launching in October 2020, more than 7362 people have been referred to JETS, the Local London Work and Health Programme: Job Entry Targeted Support.
The scheme provides up to 6 months of advice and support for people who have been out of work and claiming Universal Credit or New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance for at least 13 weeks to help them return to work.
The huge number of referrals from Jobcentre Plus is an indicator of the damaging impact that Covid has had on people in East London.
To date the JETS employment scheme, delivered on behalf of Local London by Maximus UK, has helped thousands of people back into work, including Maria who was struggling to find employment, during the pandemic. With JETS support, Maria is making the most of her honed interpersonal skills in a new sector.
Thanks to the support from JETS London, Maria is now working
Previously a childminder, Maria Debenham from Newham, had not worked for a business for over 22 years, so was lacking up-to-date experience.
Although keen to get a job, Maria was unsure of where to start when she was referred to the Job Entry: Targeted Support (JETS) service in June for support.
Abul Jakaria, Maximus Recruitment Advisor, helped Maria identify her transferable skills and set about creating a new CV. As she had been out of work for a number of years Maria needed support with her employability skills, job-searching, and interview techniques.
With her ability to form strong relations and her effective communication skills Abul quickly recognised that these were a massive asset to Maria, and they began looking at roles within a customer service environment where they would be a huge asset.
As Maria’s confidence grew so did her ability to understand the numerous ways to apply for different job roles. However, she hit an obstacle because many of the vacancies she applied for required recent experience.
Undeterred, Maria continued applying for jobs and focused on improving her interview skills to highlight the abilities she did have.
Persevering, she applied and successfully interviewed for a Sales Assistant role with a large retailer in October, demonstrating her ability to understand and empathise with others.
Maria conveyed her skills at being able to work in a methodical manner to deal with customer queries showing how she can adapt to differing and sometimes demanding situations. These were key elements to her successful interview.
Maria continues to be supported by the in-work-support team to ensure she settles back into the world of work.
The JETS scheme also provides help with IT skills, job searching, CV writing, interview support and support to consider different employment sectors, routes and ways of working including home working. Clients can also access mental health support to develop self-belief and self-motivation and build confidence.
For more information about JETS, visit the scheme website.
JETS is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Projects in five Local London boroughs will benefit from Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places fund to make arts and culture more accessible.
Creative People and Places is a three-year programme, that will invest £38.3 million from National Lottery funding to boost access to arts and culture in areas where engagement is far lower than the national average. Creative People and Places has added 39 projects in total across the country to its 2022-25 portfolio.
Five of the six projects in the capital that were awarded this funding are in Local London.
Local London projects that will benefit from Creative People and Places funding:
1. Barking & Dagenham | Creative Barking & Dagenham
Project partners: Studio 3 Arts (Lead), Barking and Dagenham Collective, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Barking and Dagenham College.
Creative Barking and Dagenham: with a growing network of local resident Cultural Connectors at its heart Creative Barking and Dagenham wants to see local people choosing, creating and taking part in brilliant arts and cultural experiences in the borough.
2. Bexley | Three Rivers
Project partners: Peabody Trust, The Exchange Erith, TACO!, Orbit Housing.
Made in the Estuary: Three Rivers bring people together to work out how to use art to make a difference. This project will develop community run platforms such as radio stations, festivals and workshops to increase participation in the arts.
3. Havering | Havering Changing
Project partners: Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch (Lead), Clarion Futures (the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group), Havering Colleges, Havering Interfaith Forum, Havering Volunteer Centre, Havering Youth Services and myplace, Rainham Association for Village Events (R.A.V.E.), The Mercury Shopping Centre.
Havering Changing: Havering is changing fast and this funding will be used for additional activities informed by a rapidly developing programme of innovative, community-led arts and culture happening in disconnected communities.
4. Newham | World on our Doorstep
Project partners: Community Links (Lead), Caramel Rock, Faithful Friends, National Cricket League, University of East London.
World on our Doorstep: Celebrating the richness of the most culturally diverse borough in the country, World on our Doorstep places the community at the heart of decision-making around access, participation, creation and curation of arts in local spaces.
5. Redbridge | Creative Redbridge
Project partners: Vision Redbridge, Culture & Leisure (Lead), Friends of Loxford, Muslimah Sports Association, Redbridge Council Volunteer Service, SPACE Studios, Mercarto Metropolitano.
Creative Redbridge: Creative Redbridge will build a people-led programme, using creativity to empower and enable lasting positive change with a measurable effect on people’s well-being and levels of social energy and activism.
Watch this video to find out more about the programme or visit www.artscouncil.org.uk/creativepeopleandplaces/projects
Local London member boroughs will receive a slice of the Government’s Levelling Up and UK Community Renewal Funds to support people most in need and make improvements to everyday life.
£40m to help Newham level up
Newham, a Local London borough was successful in the first round of levelling up funding announced in the Autumn Budget.
The East London borough was awarded almost £40m which is more than any other London borough for its two successful bids.
The borough will receive £19.82m for the Connecting to Opportunity programme related to the use of data and digital technologies. While £19.96m was awarded to the borough’s 15 Minute Neighbourhoods. Both are designed to help rebalance inequalities.
The Government’s £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund supports infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets.
GLA awarded almost £3.79m for skills, employment and business pilot schemes
The GLA was awarded almost £3.79 million in the Government’s recent UK Community Renewal Funding announcement.
The Community Renewal Fund will help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022. This £220 million funding is designed to support people most in need across the UK through pilot programmes and new approaches, that invest in skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment.
The GLA won funding to support six projects, including £520k for ‘Unlocking green economy opportunities in the south of Newham’ and over £797k for Barking and Dagenham’s ‘Green skills, green jobs (expanding employment support into green industries)’ bid.
This is a significant boost for East London’s green economy, and will support the predicted boom in green jobs in the capital, and the region, within the next 10 years.
A region left behind
A report by independent think-tank, Localis, called for government to help Local London boroughs in the capital ‘level up’ to deliver its full potential.
The report argued that Government needed masterplan investment to fulfil the immense potential of East London – a sub-region which has more in common with ‘left behind’ parts of the country than the rest of the capital.
Recent Government announcements are a welcome step towards helping the region level up but much more needs to be done.
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MSQ Partners, a leading UK marketing communications group, has been appointed to deliver wide-ranging communications support to the Thames Estuary.
The Group will support an ambitious vision to unlock the potential of the Thames Estuary region – which includes parts of London, Essex and Kent.
The long-term goal is to generate thousands of new jobs; hundreds of new houses; new transport and digital infrastructure and contribute billions of pounds to the economy by 2050.
The Government has set up a dedicated Thames Estuary Growth Board to drive this work forward and appointed Kate Willard, as Thames Estuary Envoy, to lead it.
Ahead of publication of the Board’s first plan later this year, MSQ Partners have been appointed to deliver wide-ranging communications support to generate domestic and international interest in the region to encourage investment and support.
Their commission, following a competitive tendering exercise, includes provision of campaign development, media relations and content, website development, film making and brand design. The work will be provided through a joined-up team, bringing together two of MSQ’s specialist agency capabilities – Lloyd Northover and Smarts.
Kate Willard, Thames Estuary Envoy, said: “We are thrilled to appoint MSQ. Communicating our vision for the Estuary and generating momentum around our place-making story will be vital from the outset. MSQ pitched a high-quality proposal to us demonstrating a razor-sharp understanding of our brief backed up by a strong technical offer and a real desire to deliver a brilliant project. They will be an excellent partner to the Thames Estuary.”
Simon Ward, the project lead at MSQ (and CEO of Lloyd Northover), said: “The work that the Thames Estuary Growth Board is planning is ambitious, bold and will deliver high impact results for the area. We are proud to be part of the work that helps achieve their goals. We have a history of taking on – and delivering on – complex, multi-stakeholder briefs, and we’re excited to put our skills into practice with Thames Estuary.”
Hundreds of people from across the Local London sub-region will benefit from new apprenticeship opportunities following an announcement by the Mayor of London.
Local London, a partnership of councils across east and south London, has successfully secured an ‘Apprenticeships for Londoners’ pilot project.
The programme will support smaller businesses in Greenwich, Havering, Newham and Waltham Forest to create apprenticeship opportunities in emerging and established industries, including digital technology and life sciences.
The Mayor of London is providing funding to the project with those four participating boroughs contributing a portion of their apprenticeship levy – a charge placed on larger businesses. The money will be used to support smaller businesses explore apprenticeship opportunities for new employees and upskill existing employees.
Julian Ellerby, Director of Local London, said: “Today’s announcement is excellent news for people and businesses in our sub-region. This pilot provides a real opportunity to increase apprenticeships in a range of employment sectors, and to develop a successful model for larger businesses to share some of their levy funding with smaller employers.”
The Local London pilot will work across seven of the key employment sectors identified in the Mayor of London’s Skills for Londoners Strategy: Advanced Urban Services, Life Sciences, Cultural & Creative Industries, Financial and Business sector, the Low Carbon sector, the Tech and Digital sector, and Tourism sector.
The pilot is due to start in April this year and will run for three years. During this time, it will aim to create 360 new apprenticeships– both from new recruits and from upskilling opportunities for existing employees.
