#Gooshays2013 - Malvin Paul Brown, Residents' Association of London

I haven’t seen or heard anything from the Residents’ Association of London for this by-election, so if anyone has anything do send it over as I’m keen to give every candidate the opportunity to have their literature published.


Malvin Brown

Failing that, follow the link to Malvin Brown’s online manifesto when he stood for the 2012 Greater London Authority (GLA) elections.

Malvin used to be part of the main Residents Association (RA) group which currently includes the majority of RAs in Havering, including Hornchurch RA, Upminster and Cranham RA, and Harold Wood, Hill and Park RA.

The RA group is currently the main opposition on the council with 12 members. The other groups include the Conservatives with 32, Labour with 5 and the Independent Residents Group with 4 councillors.

I like some of Malvin’s 2012 policies.

He believes that “the constant attempts by developers to nibble away at the Green Belt must be firmly resisted”. Too right! We have over 112 hectares of brownfield – why don’t the local Tories build much needed new homes in our borough on those sites instead of destroying our green and pleasant land?

Cranham Marsh Nature Reserve
(part of Havering's Green Belt)

It was the final nail in the coffin for the maternity ward just this week, but back in 2012 Malvin was also “strongly opposed to the closure of King George's hospital” in Goodmayes.

And he stated “High street regeneration must be a priority”. In this country where we have no growth, and where as a result we’ve recently lost our triple A credit rating, it might not be such a bad idea to have an independent local alternative to a Conservative national government.

In the 2012 GLA election for Havering and Redbridge constituency, Malvin came 4th beating the Lib-Dems and Green Party. This was a real achievement for localism and the idea that residents can determine their own lives free from the diktats of a political party!

Malvin stood for Havering and Redbridge constituency in the
2012 Greater London Authority elections (click to enlarge)

The main Havering RA group supported Malvin all the way in their publication ‘The Bulletin’. However in today’s by-election, Malvin has decided to run against Darren Wise, the main RA’s candidate.

I’m sure everyone will be aware that splitting the vote like this is counter-productive to both candidates and will quite likely – and unfortunately – let one of the other parties in.

At the count on Thursday 21st where I will be tweeting the result live from Havering Council (follow me: @HaveringMeh), I will be paying close attention to the number of votes picked up by both candidates – Wise and Brown – standing under separate ‘residents’ banners, and questioning whether or not two residents are better than one (?).

In the meantime, I wish Malvin all the best for Gooshays, and would hope in the future we can resolve whatever differences we have so that ordinary Havering residents can benefit from a strong and influential residents' voice representing them at Town Hall.

Next on the list is Marcus Christian Sebastian Llewellyn-Rothschild standing for the Conservative Party...