Newham residents get a new Labour mayor

Forhad Hussain has been elected Mayor of Newham, giving the borough its first change of mayoral leadership in eight years and keeping the mayoralty in Labour hands.

Newham Council said Mr Hussain, the Labour Party candidate, secured 25,538 votes and will lead the borough for the next four years. He is due to formally take up the role on Tuesday, when the next stage of the borough’s political leadership begins.

The result ends the two-term mayoralty of Labour’s Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, who has led Newham since 2018. Mr Hussain will now be asked to form an executive cabinet, the group of senior councillors responsible for major decisions across local services, budgets and borough priorities.

Labour holds the mayoralty with 25,538 votes

Mr Hussain said the election had given residents a choice and described his victory as the start of a new chapter for Newham.

“Democracy works when people are willing to step forward and serve,” he said after the result was confirmed. “I start work next week with energy and determination to deliver for every part of the borough.”

He added that it was “the honour of my life” to be elected mayor of the borough “that made me”.

The mayoral result was declared alongside a reshaped council chamber. Labour remains the largest party on 26 seats, but the Newham Independents Party won 24 seats and the Green Party took 16. That balance gives the new mayor a politically mixed council to work with, even as Labour retains the directly elected mayoralty.

Readers following the count can compare the final result with the earlier stage of the election in our report on Newham’s mayoral and council count.

A former Plaistow North councillor returns to borough leadership

Mr Hussain previously served as a Labour councillor for Plaistow North from 2010 to 2018. During that period, he held senior cabinet responsibilities, including roles covering commercial opportunities, crime and anti-social behaviour.

That background places him back inside Newham’s executive system with experience of both ward-level representation and borough-wide decision-making. The mayor’s office is one of the most powerful local government roles in the borough because it sets the direction for the executive cabinet and shapes how major policy decisions are brought forward.

His election also marks a personal return to frontline local politics after several years away from elected office. The first practical test will be the composition of his cabinet and how responsibilities are divided among councillors after a competitive local election.

Council seat totals show a divided chamber

The 2026 local election results produced a council where no single political current dominated every part of the borough.

Labour held strong representation in areas including Beckton, East Ham South, Manor Park, Custom House, West Ham and Plaistow West and Canning Town East. The Newham Independents Party won full slates in several wards, including Boleyn, Little Ilford, Plaistow South and Wall End. The Green Party also made gains across wards including Forest Gate South, Maryland, Stratford, Stratford Olympic Park and Royal Victoria.

That distribution matters for residents because council scrutiny, committee work and ward representation will not rest with one party alone. Housing, community safety, environmental policy, local transport, regeneration and neighbourhood services are likely to face close political attention over the new term.

Cabinet appointments are the next formal step

Mr Hussain is expected to begin work next week after formally taking office on Tuesday. Newham Council said he will be asked to form an executive cabinet to lead on major decisions.

The cabinet appointments will show which councillors take responsibility for policy areas such as finance, housing, children’s services, community safety and environmental services. They will also indicate how the new mayor plans to manage the political realities of a council where Labour leads but opposition parties hold a substantial number of seats.

For residents, the immediate significance is continuity in party control but change at the top of the mayoral system. The next public signals will come through the cabinet list, early mayoral statements and the first decisions brought forward under Mr Hussain’s administration.

Source: Newham Council

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Source check Source trail

This report is based on Newham Council’s published election announcement and the seat totals listed in that release.

Checks

• Confirmed the named winner and vote total from the council announcement.
• Checked the stated handover from Rokhsana Fiaz OBE to Forhad Hussain.
• Matched the reported party seat totals to the council’s published results list.
• Kept future steps limited to the formal cabinet formation described by the council.

Newham Council Check wider coverage

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Newham Council

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Newham

Updated

2026-06-04 18:13

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Forhad HussainRokhsana Fiaz

#2026 Local Elections#Forhad Hussain#Labour Party#Newham Council#Newham mayor election#Plaistow North#Rokhsana Fiaz

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