We're Backing Ayub for Bethnal Green & Bow

Ayub would make an excellent choice to be our MP. He is a someone who will bring everyone together at the next election. He would win Bethnal Green & Bow for Labour.

Jane Downey, local resident, works in Tower Hamlets, long serving Labour Party member and CLP affiliated delegate.

We're Backing Ayub for Bethnal Green & Bow

Local trade union steward and Labour Party activist Fuzlul Chowdhury says “Ayub is very hard working, intelligent and experienced. He is a credit to Tower Hamlets and the Labour Party”.

Some questions that Bethnal Green & Bow Labour Party members have asked me.

Q. Is our current tax system fair to the well-off in society?

A. No it isn’t. It creates a poverty trap in which the near poor are better off on benefits than in low paid work. The taxation system in this country (and benefits) does need reforming in favour of the low paid, families and pensioners. It is a particular issue in Tower Hamlets where skills level of so many residents are low so their wage potential is low and costs are high especially for example council tax on larger property and high rents which creates a huge economic disincentive to work. We need to change the council tax and council tax benefit and increase the supply of low housing and shifting the burden of government support from housing benefit (high rents) to direct grant aid (low rent) to protect the near poor.

Q. Should there be a 50% tax rate for personal income above £100,000?

A. Yes. I am in favour of a progressive taxation policy whereby those who earn more pay a little more than others. This is about social justice and not being punitive on the rich. However, we must make sure that any increase in tax income is matched by increase in public services.

Q. Should there be a Land Value Tax to reflect the vast increase in land values that can arise from planning decisions to re-zone land for development, or public sector investment, e.g. rise in house values following improvements to public transport?

A. Yes. We need a completely different approach to land and property values to ensure that poorest benefit from rising property values e.g. community land trusts owning freeholds to key sites and community control of assets.

Q. Should the national minimum wage increase to £6/hour?

A. Yes, for outside London. For London the minimum wage should be increased (over a period of time) to £7.05 per hour. This is the minimum ‘living wage’ for London.

Q. Do faith school damage community integration?

A. It depends on the school, the catchment area and the way the school is run. Overall, however, I am not in favour of the proliferation of faith schools because we don’t know the long-term effects of such social experiment would be. I want to see a shift of emphasis from ‘faith’ to ‘good local schools’ which can support all our young people to fulfil their potential and prepare them for life in the culturally diverse world we live in.

Ayub Korom Ali

Address: 152 Osborne Road, London E7 OPN Home: 0208 555 8439 Mob: 07931 575 168 Email: aybli@yahoo.com Trade Union Membership: I am a member of UNISON , trade union CLP delegate, and on their National Parliamentary Panel.

Labour Party experience:
• 1984 joined the Labour Party at university.
• 1984 –1993 Member of Bethnal Green and Stepney CLP. • Since 1993 Member of West Ham CLP.
• Branch Vice-Chair, Asst. Secretary and GC delegate in Bethnal Green and Stepney. Branch Chair, CLP Ethnic Minority Officer, LGC and GC Delegate in West Ham.
• 2006-07 Chair of Newham LGC.
• Elected Councillor in London Borough of Newham in May 2006.
• Appointed by the Mayor of Newham as Lead Member with special responsibility for community affairs in the Manor Park Community Forum area.
• Throughout my membership of the party I have canvassed and campaigned at every local, national election. I relish the opportunity to get on the doorstep to campaign for our party.

Other life experience and education
• I left school at 16 and worked as a machinist in a local clothing factory.
• I later went to university as a mature student and obtained a Diploma in Applied Social Studies from Ruskin College, Oxford, and an MA in Social Policy from Brunel University.
• Previously worked as a Social Worker and Team Manager, and as Head of Community Languages and Study Support in Tower Hamlets. I have also worked in Bangladesh as Project Director of a European Union-funded project focusing on Urban Environmental Management.
• Previously a Non-Executive Director for the NHS Primary Care Trust, Newham; Co-opted Member of ILEA Education Committee; Council Member of Tower Hamlets Race Equality Council; Chair of the Federation of Bangladeshi Youth Organisations and the Progressive Youth Organisation in Tower Hamlets.
• Currently Governor of Little Ilford School, and a Trustee of the UK Bangladesh Education Trust.

• I am married and have two children aged 11 and 9.
• I am a member of my local leisure centre and visit the gym regularly.
• I have a strong track record in community development and several years experience of working in local government. I started my local government career as a trainee social worker and eventually became a qualified social worker, team manager and area co-ordinator.
• Over the last 10 years, I have been working in education and regeneration at a senior level in Tower Hamlets. I am familiar with the policy-making process in local government and have extensive professional experience of managing and delivering major public service programmes at local, national and international levels.

• I am familiar with the Labour Party policy on the modernisation of local government and public services. I am the lead officer for the extended schools programme in Tower Hamlets and have a thorough knowledge of the Every Child Matters agenda as well as the ongoing restructuring of children’s services.
• I became involved in anti-racist politics at an early age and have a thorough and in-depth knowledge of community relations policy in this country. Communication skills • I am a confident public speaker. I am regularly asked to contribute to local and national conferences including Labour Party events.
• I have experience of writing letters to local papers and have appeared on many occasions on TV programmes, especially ethnic media channels like Bangla TV and Channel S.
• I have contributed to New Statesman (for example, 22 January 2007 issue). Campaigning and party development skills
• I am an experienced campaigner on local and national issues. As chair of the Federation of Bangladeshi Youth Organisations in the 80s, I ran and co-ordinated several local and national campaigns.
• More recently I ran a successful campaign to relocate Forest Gate library to a local high street. I am a relentless campaigner for employment for local people, especially the opportunities that will be created by London Olympics 2012.
• I am also passionate about education , gender equality and the environment. Representational and problem solving skills
• I have worked as a social worker and I am an experienced caseworker.
• I routinely take part in councillor’s surgeries. This has given me extensive experience of representing people and finding effective solutions to their problems. Interpersonal, teamwork and liaison skills
• Politics is about listening to people and working with others to achieve common goals. I have good interpersonal skills, which enable me to work effectively with other people. As a senior officer in a local authority, I am used to negotiating with head teachers, local parents and community leaders to deliver what is best for our children.
• As a second generation British Bangladeshi, I feel I have diverse and culturally sensitive interpersonal skills. This allows me not only to relate to people from different cultures and backgrounds but also provides me with the capacity to understand both the challenges and possibilities in today’s multi-cultural Britain. Other skills
• I have experience of working in a developing country (Bangladesh)