A Newham opposition councillor claims he was “silenced” over questions about a legal settlement between the mayor and the council.
The council agreed in 2024 to pay Labour mayor Rokhsana Fiaz £30,000 plus VAT to settle a bullying complaint.
Members of the opposition Newham Independents group tabled questions about the payment to a full council meeting yesterday (Monday 23 March). However, they were told there was not enough time to ask them in person.
Newham Independents leader, councillor Mehmood Mirza, said this had “silenced the voice of the opposition”.
Fiaz made a claim alleging race and sex discrimination against the council in the East London Employment Tribunal.
A council statement in December 2024 said this arose “from the treatment by some councillors, at a meeting in 2022”.
The 2024 statement also said the mayor and the council reached an out-of-court settlement “without admission of liability”.
However, it said the council’s standards advisory committee – which deals with councillors’ conduct – “could have dealt with things differently, and has unreservedly apologised to the mayor for the distress that she experienced”.
The statement said the council would pay £30,000 plus VAT towards Fiaz’s legal costs.
Newham Independents councillors raised questions about the settlement at Fiaz’s final full council meeting as mayor yesterday. Fiaz is not standing for re-election in May.
Questions included whether they mayor would return the payment. They also asked whether the council would publish the results of the investigation into Fiaz’s complaints.
In written answers to the questions, Fiaz referred the Newham Independents councillors to the statement issued in December 2024.
She said it was usual procedure for the council not to publish the results of an investigation where it finds there was no breach of its code of conduct. She added this decision was upheld by the Information Commissioners Office.
Fiaz also told the meeting: “Women of colour in public life face a unique double burden of race and sex discrimination. We’re often subject to a level of scrutiny and thuggery that our peers are not.
“When I challenged the treatment that I received at a meeting in 2022 I wasn’t just fighting a political spat. I was challenging a culture that thinks it can harass and victimise female leaders without any consequence.”
She added: “If I, with the platform of the mayoralty, did not stand up, what hope is there for the junior staff member or the resident who face similar harassment in the workplace?
“Standing for justice is an act of leadership, not a conflict of interest.”
The Newham Independents councillors were unable to ask their questions in person within the 30 minutes allocated time.
Questions from five Labour councillors and two Green councillors were scheduled before those of the Newham Independents.
Cllr Mirza said this was done “on purpose”. He said it was “the first time Labour councillors have asked so many questions”.
Labour councillor Melanie Onovo – who asked about food waste collection – said “there was no intentional lengthening of my question or anyone’s questions”.
The chair, Labour councillor Rohit Kumar Dasgupta, said he had chaired the meeting according to the council’s constitution.
