Former Brent Labour councillor lambasts Dawn Butler for her failure to oppose cut in Winter Fuel Allowance

 

Graham Durham publicly calling for Brent MPs, Dawn Butler, Barry Gardiner and Georgia Gould, to vote to keep pensioners' Winter Fuel Allowance

Former Brent Labour councillor, Graham Durham, now a local National Pensioner Convention activist, has attacked his MP Dawn Butler for failing to oppose the cutting of the Winter Fuel allowance by the Labour government, and failing to respond to her constituents' concerns.

 

 The cut has led to a storm of protests across the country. Many are predicting that the poorest  pensioners will struggle to heat their homes this winter and over  half a million people have signed an Age UK petition opposing the cut.

 

 

 Unite the Union October 7th Lobby of Parliament

Graham Durham, aged 70, said:

 

It is sadly inevitable that some old people in Brent will die as a result of this cut  if we have a cold winter. Over 3,000 poorer pensioners in Brent East are affected so it is very sad that Dawn Butler did not vote against the cut in Parliament.

 

To add insult to injury Dawn Butler has failed to respond to constituents who wrote to her expressing concern over many months and failed to meet constituents when they joined the national lobby at the House of Commons on 7 October.

We need our local MP to stand up for us and oppose this cruel cut.

 

 

Graham Durham will be speaking about his recently published novel, A Peal of Socialism, at Kilburn Library, Salusbury Road, NW6,  tomorrow 11am-12. The novel is set in Kilburn, Cricklewood and Willesden.

Local MPs, councillors and union activists rally behind the workers at St Mungo's homelessness charity seeking a decent wage

 Apologies for sound quality - not very good PA combined with traffic noise. Speech summaries below.

 

Workers for the homelessness charity St Mungo's, currently striking for a decent wage when the charity's executives are paid large salaries, received support in Wembley on Friday when a solidarity rally took place outside Brent Civic Centre.

Dawn Butler, Brent Central MP, spoke first but had finished by the time I got there. Brent North MP Barry Gardiner told the rally that the government was trying to make people insecure in their employment as a way of  keeping them down. He said, 'We won't buckle down, we won't touch our forelock and say if that's all you can afford, thanks very much then. Because that's not the way trade unions operate, so I stand with you, keep up the fight and solidarity.'

Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, in a speech that was hard to hear, said that the work at St Mungo's was important. He said that as a council they would take the dispute up with St Mungo's to make sure that the dispute process was open, fair and transparent. He, councillors and the Labour Group were commited to fair pay: 'We'll make sure you guys get a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.' [St Mungo's get a good proportion of their income via contracts with local councils.]

A Unite organiser said that the workers had a mandate for indefinite industrial action. He said that there had been other issues as well as the current pay dispute with the charity including a glass ceiling on pay, bullying and harassment and dismissal and attemnpted dismissal of their union members. They had made it clear to the employer that enough was enough and they were not going to put up with it anymore.

The employers thought the strikers would buckle within a couple of weeks and brought in agency workers, ahead of the workers being forced to return. Instead the strike and the momentum of the campaign had grown.

The union was now looking at what extra steps they could take and had a plan to take the fight to the directors, the trustees, and the funders who hold the purse strings. They would be contacting those with whom St Mungo's had business links, the City of London, and other charities linked to St Mungo's.

He concluded by saying that a 10% salary increase was needed at the very minimum/

Jonathan Ffuxman, Secretary of Brent Trades Council and a member of Doctors in Unite, said that this was a battle for control of the charity. He said that it beggared belief that a respected charity was a cash cow for its executive while the workers, who helped people off the street to restore their lives, got the minimum wage, were  bullied and harassed and were completely over-worked.

As a GP  he had seen the work St Mungo's did from his Practice.  Life expectancy for homeless people was just 45 years. St Mungo workers are the people who are picking them up from the street, giving them somewhere to stay and helping them. It was an essential service and, 'What do they get? The minimum wage.'

He appealed for support from the labour movement against the background of strikes  by doctors, nurses and others who are fighting back.

'If you are not in a union - join one.  If you are in a union - get active. Make your union do stuff. Every union needs to be fighting hard and showing solidarity.'

Cllr Gwen Grahl, a member of the Brent Cabinet with a background in working for charities said that over the last few decades the charity sector had become more like corporations with executive earning big salaries while there were povery wages for the workers and the use of fire and rehire  and zero hours contracts. She said some charities then undermined the permanent workers by introducing agency staff: 'I fully support you and will join your picket line on Friday.'

Cllr Jumbo Chan, who is a member of the NEU which is also currently in dispute, said that workers were being blamed for other crises that were going on at the moment including the economy.  

He told the strikers, 'The bosses think they are getting away with it, but by say "No!" you are doing something powerful. You are puncturing not just the bosses but a powerful narrative that is supported by politicians, economists and academics.  There is no law that says bosses can earn whatever they want and workers always have to take what they are offered.'

Chan said that the strikers were facing a titanic struggle but have the labour movement behind them and full support.

Responding to the speeches a St Mungo's worker thanked the speakers and those attending and said it really meant something to the strikers. He said they were fed up with the lie that they had to accept 3% a year when price rises were in double figures. 'Enough is enough' had to start meaning something. They had gone into a meeting with management on Tuesday really hoping that there would be a sensible offer but nothing came. It was a waste of time and they now had no option but to escalate the action.

He concluded, 'We are getting more confident as this dispute goes on and we are not going back in there until we have won.'

Supporters are asked to join the picket line from 8.30am on Friday at the St Mungo's facility in Pound Lane Willesden, just opposite the bus garage entrance.

Community support for St Mungos strikers on the picket line in Willesden

 

 

Local activists and Brent TUC  joined St Mungos strikers on the picket line in Willesden this morning to show solidarity with their struggle for a decent pay rise to address  the 25%  real terms reduction  in their wages and the erosion caused by inflation.

 

 Outside the St Mungos facility in Pound Lane

 

Like many charities St Mungos has left its roots to be more of a corporate enterprise with highly paid executives and low paid workers actually on the front line working with the homeless.  The changes, as with housing associations comes about as charities and the third sector are called upon to perform functions abandoned by the welfare state.

 

 

 

The support from the public for the strikers came over loud and clear as passing traffic tooted in solidarity.

That support will be demonstrated again when a Solidarity Rally, addressed by Dawn Butler, takes place at noon on Friday June 16th outside Brent Civic Centre in Wembley Park.

The Civic Centre is an appropriate venue as St Mungos gets the majority of its funding from local authorities, many London boroughs, including Brent. The strikers are keen that councils put pressure on the St Mungos management to negotiate a fair deal. Half the workforce of 1,600 are unionised and many taking part in strikes, leading to agency workers with little experience attempting to deliver the service for which the borough pays.

If the contract is failing to deliver there may be a case for councils to suspend their contracts.

 

Dawn Butler on Minimum Service Levels Bill: ' It is dishonest; it is an insult to trade unions, which are the aspirational vehicle of the working class; and it is an insult to Parliament and parliamentary procedures.'

This is the text of Dawn Butler's speech on the  'Strikes (Minimum Services Levels) Bill delivered yesterday in Parliament.

 

A lot of time is spent in courts in some countries arguing about minimum service level agreements. I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I am a proud trade unionist: I worked for the GMB for more than a decade representing Members of Parliament, I am a member of Unite the union, and, after this debate, I might join a few more trade unions.

 

The Secretary of State took great joy in reading out how much hon. Members receive from trade unions, which is, as my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Vicky Foxcroft) said, the cleanest money in politics. I wonder if, when he returns to his place, he will let the House know how much Michael Green, Corinne Stockheath and Sebastian Fox have received in payments.

 

In the short time that I have, I will talk about the Bill. It is dishonest; it is an insult to trade unions, which are the aspirational vehicle of the working class; and it is an insult to Parliament and parliamentary procedures. A lot of time is spent in courts in some countries arguing about minimum service level agreements. I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I am a proud trade unionist: I worked for the GMB for more than a decade representing Members of Parliament, I am a member of Unite the union, and, after this debate, I might join a few more trade unions.

 

The Secretary of State took great joy in reading out how much hon. Members receive from trade unions, which is, as my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Vicky Foxcroft) said, the cleanest money in politics. I wonder if, when he returns to his place, he will let the House know how much Michael Green, Corinne Stockheath and Sebastian Fox have received in payments.

 

In the short time that I have, I will talk about the Bill. It is dishonest; it is an insult to trade unions, which are the aspirational vehicle of the working class; and it is an insult to Parliament and parliamentary procedures. Most of  the detail of the Bill is missing and the Government have said that they will add it later—that is not how we are supposed to do politics or make legislation. It contains wide, prospective Henry VIII powers, and as we saw during the pandemic, if we give the Government such powers, they abuse them—but they are putting them in legislation. It allows the Government to amend and revoke any future legislation passed in this Session, so what is the point of Parliament? No matter what we say or pass, the Government can turn around and say, “We want to change it,” or, “We want to revoke it.” That is against what every single Member of Parliament has been elected to do.

 

Ministers are trying to have power over Parliament—that is all the Bill is about—and to encourage employers to have power over workers. When I was a trade union official, it said on our office wall, “To make rich people work harder, they pay them more. To make poor people work harder, they try to pay them less.” Safety does not appear anywhere in the Bill. 

 

The House of Lords debated a report, “Democracy Denied?”, which said that we must rebalance power between Parliament and the Executive. The Government are asking Parliament to vote on a Bill that does not really exist, because there is no detail.

 

If the Government are serious about having minimum service levels, and if they are serious about negotiating, which nobody in the Government seems able to do, they should agree to compulsory arbitration or mediation to resolve disputes, but they are not interested in that. They are interested in trying to paint trade unions, which are the aspirational vehicle of the working class, in one light and themselves in another.

 

I say to the Government, however, that the public are not stupid and they see what the Government are doing by trying to take away their rights at every single level, including the right to protest and the right to vote. We see what the Government are doing and we will stand up and stop them at every opportunity.

 

Most of the detail of the Bill is missing and the Government have said that they will add it later—that is not how we are supposed to do politics or make legislation. It contains wide, prospective Henry VIII powers, and as we saw during the pandemic, if we give the Government such powers, they abuse them—but they are putting them in legislation. It allows the Government to amend and revoke any future legislation passed in this Session, so what is the point of Parliament? No matter what we say or pass, the Government can turn around and say, “We want to change it,” or, “We want to revoke it.” That is against what every single Member of Parliament has been elected to do.

 

Ministers are trying to have power over Parliament—that is all the Bill is about—and to encourage employers to have power over workers. When I was a trade union official, it said on our office wall, “To make rich people work harder, they pay them more. To make poor people work harder, they try to pay them less.” Safety does not appear anywhere in the Bill.

 

The House of Lords debated a report, “Democracy Denied?”, which said that we must rebalance power between Parliament and the Executive. The Government are asking Parliament to vote on a Bill that does not really exist, because there is no detail.

 

If the Government are serious about having minimum service levels, and if they are serious about negotiating, which nobody in the Government seems able to do, they should agree to compulsory arbitration or mediation to resolve disputes, but they are not interested in that. They are interested in trying to paint trade unions, which are the aspirational vehicle of the working class, in one light and themselves in another.

 

I say to the Government, however, that the public are not stupid and they see what the Government are doing by trying to take away their rights at every single level, including the right to protest and the right to vote. We see what the Government are doing and we will stand up and stop them at every opportunity.

 

Dawn Butler: 'We need to keep Harlesden whole' opposes new Boundary Commission proposals as undermining Harlesden's representation as a community

 The boundary that splits Harlesden (Source)

 Dawn Butler MP (Brent Central) has reacted to the latest proposals from the Boundary Commission for new Wembley, Willesden and Queens Park & Little Venice constituencies, with an email to constituents opposing the changes wil will split Harlesden between two constituencies.

I have received, from the Boundary Commission, their latest proposals to change the borders of the constituency boundaries in Brent, and indeed across the entire country.

The Boundary Commission has now publicly released its plans and has outlined that it wants to cut Harlesden down the middle. This means that the Church End half of Harlesden would be in one constituency, and the High Street would be in another. It just makes no sense.

I am opposing these plans and I have called on the Boundary Commission to think again about splitting one of Brent’s most vibrant communities into two. Do the people in Harlesden identify as living in two distinct areas? No. Harlesden is one community and it should remain as such. That has been the case for about as far back as historical records can go.

But I am not just opposing these changes because of history but because representation matters. When I stand up in Parliament and speak, I am speaking up for all of Harlesden. So, when I call on the Government to end the scourge of betting shops, or demand extra police on our streets, I am making representations on behalf of the entire Harlesden community, that will benefit the entire Harlesden community. Harlesden deserves to be represented within Parliament in a comprehensive, not patchwork manner.

We need to keep Harlesden whole.

If you agree with me, then make sure you have your say by completing a simple online form on the Boundary Commission website at https://www.bcereviews.org.uk/. The deadline for submission is 5th December.

 

Brent MP to speak at West London Enough is Enough! Rally at Willesden Green Mosque, Friday November 11th 7pm

 

Brent Central Labour MP, Dawn Butler is to speak at the West London Enough is Enough! Rally on Friday, alongside Mick Lynch of the RMT and Jo Grady of the UCU.

Reserve FREE tickets HERE. 

The Rally begins at 7pm. The Mosque (Central Mosque of Brent)  is at the end of Station Parade.  Turn left when you leave Willesden Green station and walk along Station Parade,  parallel with the tube line.

 

 

Brent Council undermines Aslef & RMT strikes with special car park in a Fryent Country Park field during Coldplay concerts on strike days

 Readying the car park early this morning

Dawn Butler and Barry Gardiner on the picket line today

Hard to get my head round this. Labour activists tweeted their presence on Aslef picket lines this morning as they joined RMT strikers and Barry Gardiner and Dawn Butler on the picket line.

Meanwhile however, Brent Council was setting up a temporary cara park in a field in Fryent Counrty Park, Wembley and directing Coldplay fans to the Stadium.

Cllr Saquib Butt, a man with many hats, was extolling the virtues of the Council's money making strike breaking on Facebook last night. Saquib is the brother of council leader Muhammed Butt.

This is what he said:

FRYENT PARK **Important information**

Hi all,

 

We have received notification from Brent Council that our partners, Wembley Stadium connected by EE have sought the support of the Council in making the event field at Fryent Park available for customer parking on four upcoming dates as below:

 

13th August – ASLEF strike action affecting National Rail services only

This has a direct clash with the Coldplay concert on 13th August and an indirect clash with the Coldplay concert on 12th August (skeletal services operating / cessation of services on the 12th August in preparation for the strike)

 

18th August – RMT strike action affecting National Rail services only

This has an indirect clash with the Coldplay concert on 17th August (skeletal services operating / cessation of services early on the 17th August in preparation for the strike)

 

19th August – RMT strike action affecting the London Underground network and impacting National Rail services in Wembley

The direct clash with the Coldplay concert on the 19th August has resulted in a change of date to 21st August. This strike action has an indirect impact on the Coldplay concert on 20th August if LU services are not resumed to a full and good service.

 

20th August – RMT strike action affecting National Rail services only

This has a direct clash with the Coldplay concert on 20th August and an indirect clash with the rescheduled Coldplay concert on 21st August (skeletal services operating / slow resumption of services – Chiltern Rail have also confirmed engineering works and no National Rail service from Wembley Stadium station)

 

The event field is available for use on a commercial basis to host events that are proposed by the community or event organisers. We charge a fee for this and hold deposits to account for any grounds damage and the need for reinstatement. Damage to the fabric of the park would always be a key consideration but we are satisfied the recent hot and dry weather will mean the ground is strong enough to withstand the parking without any risk of damage.

 

The Council will benefit from a rental income and the proceeds of the parking sales will go to the ‘Best in Class’ fund that supports event day joint operations.

 

As always, please do reach out to us for any concerns/issues and we will arrange for a response as necessary. 

 

Our contact details can be found here:

Cllr Saqib Butt : https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=12945

Cllr Shama Tatler : https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=8853

Cllr Sandra Kabir : https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=396

Cllr Butt answered residents' queries and made no bones about the fact that this was a reaction to the strikes:

Saqib Butt

Author

Hi Jay , the stadium manages fine on normal event days when there are no strikes. This situation has only arisen due to the travelling public not being able to use the trains etc.

Joint Statement by Mina Smallman and Dawn Butler on the second anniversary of the murder of sisters Bibaa and Nicole

Today marks two years since two beautiful sisters, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, were brutally murdered in a park in Brent. They must never be forgotten along with the countless other women whose lives have been taken too soon at the hands of men.

Violence against women and girls has reached endemic proportions. It is a stain on society and our duty is to keep campaigning for change that is so desperately needed. We want to provide a platform and a force for change.

We call for long overdue action at the heart of our institutions to ensure the safety of women and girls, so that tragedies like this will never happen again. Continuing as we are will not solve it – we need systemic, institutional reforms.

The Government and Metropolitan Police must undertake coordinated sustainable action to tackle violence against women and girls – on the streets, in the home, in the workplace, online and wherever else it may take place. Because enough is enough.

Action must also be taken to address the repeated instances of misconduct by some officers within the Met Police. The repeated incidents of unacceptable and at times criminal behaviour, as well as the large number of allegations of sexual misconduct, is extremely concerning. The Met have a well-developed actionplan to rebuild faith in their police service. This must include the dismissal of ‘bad apple’ police officers.

Finally, we believe that the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner must acknowledge the institutional racism and misogyny that still exists within the service. If we cannot admit these problems exist, how can we possibly hope to solve them. The new commissioner must be committed to institutional reforms, to working with the public to resolve problems and to ensuring that the service is as diverse as the public it seeks to serve. This is necessary in order to build trust in the Met among all of London’s people and communities.

While we recognise that the process is well under way to appoint the new Commissioner, we are clear that in future this new position cannot be chosen solely by the Home Secretary or Prime Minister. In future, the Commissioner must be chosen by Londoners as a whole – either directly or via their elected representatives. It is only fair and correct that Londoners have a say in who leads the service which seeks to protect and serve the people.

I look forward to working collaboratively with the next Met Police Commissioner, the many good officers in the police service and the many important stakeholders. We would welcome a meeting with the Home Secretary to discuss the above in further detail.

Dawn Butler MP and Mina Smallman

Reminder: The Women's Equality Party has organised a march from Fryent Country Park (Barn Hill pond, Wembley) to New Scotland Yard to lay the responsibility for racist, misogynist policing firmly at the Metropolitan Police doors. 

Starts at 12.30pm at the pond.  DETAILS

 

Dawn Butler assures constituents of continuity of service as she takes time out to recover after successful cancer operation

 Dawn Butler MP (Brent Central) issued the following statement today.  I am sure readers will join me in wishing her a successful return to her usual full fighting strength.

Back in early November, I attended a routine mammogram and a few weeks later the hospital informed me that they had identified breast cancer cells at a very early stage.

Of course, everything stood still as it does when you hear the dreaded C-word – it is a shock but an early diagnosis means that it is something that I will get through and over. The NHS has caught my cancer early, the operation was a complete success, and I will make a full recovery.

However, I now have to take time off work for my recovery. Everyone who knows me knows that I am a workaholic and I love what I do – but unless I listen to medical advice and recover well, I will not be able to give my best. I would like to thank Parliament, the Labour Party, local members and my team for their support throughout.

I would like to reassure people that my office remains functioning in my absence; my dedicated staff will continue to support constituents, make representations and will still hold regular surgery appointments. If you live in Brent Central and need advice or support, you can continue to contact me via: dawn.butler.mp@parliament.uk and 020 7219 8591.

Hopefully, my recovery won’t take too long. But in the meantime, please bear with me and thank you very much in advance for your support.

I want to end my statement by thanking the NHS and everyone who is soldiering through. I have seen first-hand how the NHS is under enormous pressure – The Royal London seemed full, people were waiting on chairs in A&E for beds, the staff were exhausted in the NHS and many were suffering from PTSD.

Covid-19 has taken a lot out of them. So many people have missed appointments (many through no fault of their own), results are delayed and operations postponed. If we are to show our appreciation for the amazing NHS workers and rebuild our health service then we need to properly invest in the NHS, both structurally and in the very people who keep it functioning.

Tokyngton residents receive no response from their neighbours, Muhammed Butt and Dawn Butler, over littering, street drinking & women's safety in their ward

 

Residents of Tokyngton concerned about littering and other issues are to present a 320 petition at the next Brent Cabinet meeting on February 7th.

They have received no response to a November petition letter to Dawn Butler MP and Cllr Muhammed Butt despite them both being resident in the ward. Zack Polanski, Green Party All London Assembly Member and chair of the Assembly's Environment Committee who did respond sympathetically but has limited power on the issue as it is a borough matter.

 The residents' petition calls for more rubbish bins, improved lighting, anti-littering enforcement and loitering and public drinking restrictions.

The area affected stretches from the Kingdon Hall at Wembley Triangle,  Neeld Parade down Oakington Manor Drive, Vivian Avenue and Vivian Gardens.  The greens at the junctions of  these roads are particular hotspots.

The petitioners write:

Sadly many Tokyngton residents feel badly let down by our council representatives. We see our streets contantly strewn with empty alcohol cans, bottles and litter of every kind. Places feel unsafe especially for women and girls, with now darker nights.  In the listed areas (above) we have constant male loitering and drinking. Here we ask for more neighbourhood/community police officers and the installation of CCTV cameras.

We did not vote for unsightly blue bags stuck on trees. They blow upside down in strong wind, and are difficult and unhygenic to open. We did not vote for an unworkable no-bin policy.  Cllr Butt is placing public bins in 'flag ship areas' and ignoring us and our environment. We ask for proper public bins to be properly collected, especially on our 'hot zones'. Also better lighting in these zones.

Our area of Tokyngton is NOT cared about. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

The petition is addressed to Dawn Butler MP, Muhammed Butt, Michael Gove (Secretary of State) and Zack Polanski.

Dawn Butler's 'Liar' speech in full

 Via They Work for You

The last 18 months have been a tale of the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good is that the people of Brent and elsewhere have joined together to form mutual aid groups, religions have come together to find common ground, and strangers are now firm friends. The bad is this Government’s catastrophic handling of the pandemic, the mixed messages, the corruption in plain sight, the authoritarian laws and the erosion of our democracy. And the ugly is that racism in society has reared its ugly head, spurred on by Government reports and the hyping up of the culture war and the war on woke.

While the NHS was coping with 130,000 people dying from the pandemic, the Prime Minister was making his mates rich. Cronyism is rife and old chums are given jobs regardless of their skillset—some a little bit on the side. This has been one big experiment for this corrupt, authoritarian, racism-laden Government, and I am not scared of saying it like it is.

The Government said we need to talk about class, so let us do it. Let us call out this toxic elitism once and for all. Byline Times, the Good Law Project, Novara Media, openDemocracy, Amnesty and Liberty have all exposed the Government, and the Government’s response is to spend public money defending the indefensible.

It is funny how there is no money for NHS staff, yet £1 billion of covid contracts have been awarded to Conservative donors. We were told that Ministers were not involved, but then the Good Law Project exposed emails from the Prime Minister’s advisers and the Home Secretary lobbying for money. The corrupt, authoritarian approach of this Government would be condemned and investigated if it were happening anywhere else in the world.

The 1% believe they owe nothing to society. They do not believe in the NHS, and they do not support it. This week I spoke to Orwell Foundation youth writer Manal Nadeem. She wrote:

“Let anti-racism be both common logic and law. May we have more accountability than apologies. May performative, placeholder posts be followed by policy… When the future arrives, let the minimum wage be a liveable wage… Let survival be a birthright... When the poor cannot pay with anything else, let us not ask them to pay with their lives.”

Poor people in our country have paid with their lives because the Prime Minister spent the last 18 months misleading this House and the country.

Peter Stefanovic from the Communication Workers Union has a video with more than 27 million views online. In it he highlights that the Prime Minister says: that the economy has grown by 73%—it is just not true; that he has reinstated nursing bursaries—just not true; that there is not a covid app working anywhere in the world—just not true; and that the Tories invested £34 billion in the NHS—not true. The Prime Minister said

“we have severed the link between infection and serious disease and death.”

Not only is that not true but it is dangerous.

It is dangerous to lie during a pandemic, and I am disappointed that the Prime Minister has not come to the House to correct the record and correct the fact that he has lied to this House and the country over and over again.

Twitter reacts to reports of a possible Labour leadership bid by Brent Central MP Dawn Butler (Later denied)

UPDATE FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

 

 Click on image to view separately

Brent MPs and councillors to join vital meeting on the Cladding Scandal March 16th

 

Leaseholders across the country have found themselves trapped in their homes as a result of the cladding and building crisis in the wake of the Grenfell fire.

In order to sell their homes leaseholders have to have an EWS1 certificate and this is not available if the building does not meet safety checks - they find that their home has no value.

While trapped in their homes they find themselves confronted with huge bills as the freeholder/management agency and the builders do not accept liability for the defect remediation. In addition they may also have to pay for additional meanwhile costs of a 'waking watch' fire marshalls engaged 24/7 to monitor the safety of the building.

The situation has left many leaseholders desperate and depressed but they have got themselves organised and are fighting back.

 Leaseholders in Brent and Camden have been in the forefront of the campaign to persuade the government to take urgent action on the situation. 

Join the meeting on Tuesday March 16th 6-7pm APPLICATION 

Information brentcladding@gmail.com

 

Brent NEU issues urgent appeal to Brent MPs and Council leaders on contagion dangers of full opening of nursery classes

 Continuing his hapless mismanagement of the education service during the pandemic, Gavin Williamson has changed guidance on the opening of nurseries from that initially sent out at the beginning of term.  The opening of school-based nurseries had initially been left to headteachers to decide and in schools open to only vulnerable and critical workers (the latter a widened category compared with key workers) it made little sense to open nurseries to all children and thus increase the potential of contagion.

The DfE has now issued guidance that nurseries should be full open.

 Brent NEU has written a letter to Brent MPs Barry Gardiner, Tulip Siddiq and Dawn Butler; Muhammed Butt leader of Brent Council and Cllr Tom Stephens lead member for schools asking them to intervene in what could be a life or death matter.

 

Dear Brent Councillors and MPs,

 

As you know, there is great pressure to open nurseries and special schools fully during this lockdown despite the fact that Sadiq Khan has today declared a major incident and school settings have been shown to be a major transmission factor with the new variant of Covid-19.

 

In Brent our nursery and special school headteachers have, as usual, put safety first, and resisted opening to increased numbers of children. As you know this is in line with the policies of all education unions, the NEU included.

 

However they are now being pressured to implement this government's shameless edict just at the moment that deaths and cases reach a record high, the virus is out of control, we hear of deaths of our workers every day and the NHS in London is at breaking point.

 

I'm afraid I have to be brutally honest with you here. I cannot morally bring myself to advise my members (when they write to me concerned that their settings are going to fully open to children and staff) that they must go into their school or nursery, because the reality is that I know that if I give this advice, some will subsequently become seriously ill or die. This is the reality.

 

I feel I have no option but to advise against this. However it is within the gift of the council and MPs to come out publicly and state that you will not require your schools and council officers, in Brent, to adhere to DfE advice where that advice contradicts with the evidence we have on safety, risk and the headteachers' own risk assessments.

 

With that in mind I am asking you now if you can offer this support? Of course, not only would this protect my members from harm but it would help halt the spread of the virus, help save hospital beds and also prevent the deaths of pupils, bearing in mind that children with learning disabilities are six times more likely to die from Covid-19.

 

I am happy to meet with any of you to discuss this further, or indeed, organise a public meeting so that you can hear the views of our Brent community on this.

 

I look forward to hearing from you on this matter, as soon as possible.

 

Jenny Cooper

 

Brent NEU Joint District Secretary.

Vice Chair, NEU National Health and Safety Organising Forum.

 

Meanwhile the National Governors Association (NGA) has drawn attention to the problem of more than the expected number of vulnerable and critical worker children attended school, undermining the intention of school closures to stop the spread of the virus. Boris Johnson had insisted both that schools are safe and should close as they are vectors for the spread of the new strain:

One of the main issues we are currently in dialogue with the DfE is on the number of children who are attending schools despite there being a national lockdown with a stay at home request from the Prime Minister with supposedly schools closed to most pupils: significant numbers of governing boards are reporting that they have between 40 and 70% of their pupils attending in strong contrast to the first lockdown.  We are also aware that there are particular challenges for special schools, alternative provision and those with large numbers of disadvantaged children, but it is helpful to make the case if we have your stories to bring the points alive.

 

Mail to: covidfeedback@nga.org.uk