London Borough of Newham

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London Borough of Newham
Newham
Shown within Greater London
Geography
Status London Borough
Area
— Total
Ranked 326th
36.22 km² (14.0 sq mi)
ONS code 00BB
Admin HQ East Ham
Demographics
Population
— Total (2006 est.)
Density
Ranked 42nd (of 354)
248,400
6,858 /km² (17,762 /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
Logo of 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
Coat of arms of Newham London Borough Council
Official website http://www.newham.gov.uk/
Newham Town Hall in East Ham (E6)
Newham Town Hall in East Ham (E6)
Logo on the roadside at sunset
Logo on the roadside at sunset

The London Borough of Newham (pronunciation ) 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 2005 estimates, Newham is the most ethnically diverse district in the country, with no particular ethnic group dominating (39% of the population is White, 33% is Asian, and 22% is Black).[2]

Contents

[edit] Demography

Newham has the highest young population and one of the lowest indigenous white 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.[3]. 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[4] with 6 out of the top 15 wards, behind Brent with 7 out of the top 15 wards.

Using the aggregated ethnic groups drawn from the 2001 Census indicates Little Ilford in Newham to be the most ethnically diverse ward in the United Kingdom. When using the 16 ethnic group categories, this ward becomes the second most ethnically diverse ward, behind Dollis Hill in Brent.

[edit] 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.[5]

According to a study carried out in 2007 for a Channel 4 television programme, it is the "4th worst" place to live in the UK; the study took into account crime rates, school results, pollution, economic activity and property prices. In the 2006 study, neighbouring Tower Hamlets and Hackney came in at 2nd and 1st place respectively, while Merthyr Tydfil came in 3rd. [6]

[edit] Council and democracy

Unlike most English districts, its council is led by a directly-elected mayor, currently Robin Wales. 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.[7]

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.[8]

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. The local elections of 2006 proved a disappointment for Respect: they stood candidates in all 20 wards, secured 26% of the votes of the whole borough, but still only secured 3 seats.

[edit] Notable local residents

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

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

1960s model Celia Hammond.

Actor 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.

Poet Benjamin Zephaniah.

Athlete Christine Ohuruogu.

Basketball paralympian Ade Adepitan

Rapper Kano (rapper)

[edit] Education

[edit] Schools and colleges

The Borough is the education authority for the district providing education in a mix of Foundation, community and voluntary aided schools.[9]

[edit] University

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

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.

[edit] Places of interest

[edit] 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, E13.

[edit] 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)[10].

[edit] Museums

[edit] Newspapers

The local newspaper is the Newham Recorder and is edited by Colin Grainger.

[edit] Parks and open spaces

[edit] 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
Vibrant Green Street where the population is predominantly South Asian

[edit] Shopping and exhibitions

[edit] Sport

[edit] Crime

There has been a major increase in crime in Newham since 2006. In 2007, 7 people were stabbed/shot to death in the streets of Newham. All of them were under 18. Newham also had the 7th highest number of street robberies in the UK. Recently it was reported that an elderly grandmother was beaten to death by a gang of teenagers. There was also a murder outside a barber's shop in Stratford.[citation needed] It has one of the highest murder rates in London of all the boroughs, along with Camden where Gospel Oak is situated and Lambeth where Brixton is.

[edit] Religion

The diversity of the borough is reflected in the many churches, mosques and temples in the area.

[edit] Districts

[edit] 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.

[edit] List of stations

[edit] International services

[edit] See also

[edit] References and notes

  1. ^ Data Management and Analysis Group, Greater London Authority, Demography Update October 2007, (2007)
  2. ^ Ethnic Group (UV09). Census 2001. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved on 2008-05-31.
  3. ^ Simpson's diversity indices by ward 1991 and 2001 - GLA Data Management and Analysis Group (page 11, Table 3) (Jan 2006) date accessed 13 Dec 2006
  4. ^ Focus on Newham 2006 - local people and local conditions - London Borough of Newham, Corporate Research Unit (chapter 2, page 24) (2006) date accessed 31 Mar 2007
  5. ^ Mills, A., Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names, (2001).
  6. ^ That list accessed: 29 October 2006
  7. ^ The Civic Ambassador at Newham accessed 13 Dec 2006
  8. ^ Other Stories we Liked, The Times. 22 November 2005.
  9. ^ Education and Learning (London Borough of Newham) accessed 24 March 2008
  10. ^ Cherry, Bridget et.al. London 5: East: the Buildings of England. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005
  11. ^ Eurostar not to serve new station at Stratford

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 51°31′N, 0°02′E