Harrow Public Health chief issues warning as Covid rates increase more than 97% when last 7 days are compared with the previous 7

 

UK Health Security Agency Omicron cases in Brent amd Harrow as of December 13th

 

 FROM harrow.gov.uk

The Head of the UK Health Security Agency has called the Omicron variant “probably the most significant threat” since the start of the pandemic.

• Omicron is serious and spreading fast
• Vaccination is the best defence  - get your booster jab
• Hands, Face, Space and Ventilate remain vital
• Think carefully about Christmas plans

Omicron and Christmas by Carole Furlong, Harrow Director of Public Health

Though we're all very tired of Covid and hoping to see people this Christmas, we must take this new threat very seriously. Omicron is far more transmissible than anything we’ve seen before. 

More than 77,000 new cases were recorded in the UK yesterday, 16th December – the biggest increase in a single day. This record though is set to be broken repeatedly in the coming days and weeks, with the number of Covid cases nationwide currently doubling every couple of days. This level of infection and the potential absences from workplaces could have serious implications for the running of services.

The data for Harrow shows a more than 97% increase in cases when the last 7 days are compared with the previous 7. As Harrow’s Director of Public Health I’m very concerned about this. 

London is once again on the frontline. One of the things that makes the capital more vulnerable is the relatively low levels of vaccination. Across the UK more than 81% of the population have had their first two doses of vaccine. In London that drops to 61%, and in Harrow it’s 64%. 

That leaves a significant proportion of our community less protected and we will continue to encourage people to come forward for their first, second and booster jabs. On our YouTube channel you’ll find a number of videos from local health professionals and members of the public talking about the benefits of Covid vaccination. Most compelling are those that were unsure about vaccination but are now advocates for it. 

Omicron is very new and is still little understood. Early reports that it is less serious than other strains should be treated with caution. These ideas have been drawn from study of Omicron’s area of origin in southern Africa, where the population is much younger.

What we do know is that Omicron is very highly infectious. Vaccination is our most effective tool, but we must use it alongside simple precautions like handwashing, wearing of face coverings and social distancing. 

We all know by now the steps we can take to limit the spread of infection and while we don’t expect that there will be any formal lockdown type restrictions imposed in England before Christmas, I’m appealing to everyone to do all you can to protect yourself and your family and slow the spread of this dangerous new variant. 

Face coverings are now mandatory in most indoor settings and a newly introduced Covid pass, confirming vaccination status or a recent negative test, is now required for entry to large gatherings, such as concerts.

I agree with Dr Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer, who recommends we carefully consider our planned social contact this festive period and prioritise the important occasions, or otherwise risk contracting Covid and being unable to meet those people we care about most. 

The implication of this advice is that a significant proportion of the population is expected to contract Omicron, as it becomes the dominant variant in the UK.

Before you mix with other people, get a negative lateral flow test and encourage others to do the same. If you’re indoors, think about ventilation. Most Covid transmission occurs through the air. Keeping the air circulating is an effective way to reduce potential build up of virus and limit its opportunities to spread.

Vaccination 

Our best defence against Omicron is vaccination. Vaccines both protect the person receiving them – they are less likely to be seriously ill if they contract the virus – but also reduces the risk of them passing it on to others. Omicron’s remarkable transmissibility pits us in a race against time – vaccinating on a huge scale at the same time as Omicron is moving through the population at such worrying speed. 

Eligibility for booster jabs has now been extended to include anyone aged 18 and over. 
We've been working closely with the NHS to help meet the huge demand for jabs that has been created. Together we're opening a number of vaccination clinics offering booster jabs and, for those that still need them, first and second doses.

If you had your second jab at least three months ago, you can book your booster now. Appointments are being added all the time to the national booking system. 

Walk in appointments are available over the weekend and Monday at Civic 5, the building to the right of the main Civic Centre. We’re ramping up capacity in this clinic, which can also be booked through the national system, and hope it will soon operate 7 days a week.

If you’re coming to this clinic without a booked appointment, please arrive between 9am and 6pm, be prepared for a long wait outdoors and plan accordingly. Walk in appointments are also available at some local pharmacies. See further information about these and other vaccine centres across North West London. There are also special pop-up sessions at Chelsea FC on Saturday and Wembley stadium on Sunday.

Testing – without symptoms

Please use lateral flow tests regularly and before mixing with others. Many people can have Covid and not show any symptoms and even though they feel fine, are still able to infect others. Testing regularly helps to find these hidden cases and break the chain of infection.

If you are a contact of someone with Covid-19, the NHS Test and Trace Team will inform you, and decide if you need to isolate. This decision will depend on several factors but critically you do not need to isolate if you are fully vaccinated, instead you will be asked to undertake daily lateral flow tests. Please note if you are told to isolate it is a legal requirement.

After some disruption, the online ordering of test kits is working again. We understand some local pharmacies are running low on stock. 16 pharmacies in Harrow offer assisted testing, where your test is processed for you onsite, and this service is still working well.

Testing – with symptoms

If you have symptoms of Covid – a fever, continuous cough or a change in your sense of taste or smell – you must stay at home and not have visitors and get a PCR test as soon as possible. 

Self-isolation is the most effective way of limiting your contact with others and minimising Covid’s opportunities to infect more people. We’ve been working with the NHS to help increase the number of PCR tests that can be offered in Harrow. The mobile testing unit outside the Civic Centre is now open 7 days a week and will operate throughout the Christmas break.
 

Harrow and Barnet Council face up to the flood challenge - will Brent follow?

 

 

Wembley Matters has recently been focusing on the potential impact of severe weather events on potential flooding in the north LINK and south LINK of the borough so it is welcome to hear that neighbouring boroughs Harrow and Barnet are taking action on the Silk Stream catchment that feeds into the Welsh Harp.  Without mitigation torrential rainfall carried by the Silk Stream could have a major impact on the Welsh Harp and lead to the opening of sluices at the dam with the excess water flowing down the River Brent.

 

This is Thames21 account of the project and consultation:

A major six-year partnership project will work with nature to reduce the risk of flooding in the Silk Stream catchment and wider River Brent.

 

The Silk Stream Flood and Resilience Innovation (SSFRI)  is a partnership project, led by Harrow and Barnet Councils with involvement from Thames21, Thames Water, Environment Agency, Greater London Authority, Canal and River Trust, Brent Catchment Partnership, Friends of the Silk Stream Resident Group, Silk Stream Flood Action Group and others. The project is funded by the government’s Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation initiative and is one of 25 related schemes across England.

 

The project will explore opportunities to build new wetlands, restore stretches of river and create new areas of natural drainage to increase flood resilience as well as create a host of other benefits, including improved water quality, beautiful public spaces that will boost health and wellbeing and much needed habitat for wildlife.

 

We need your help!

 

Please fill in our online survey to share your knowledge of the catchment and your ideas about how the project should develop.

 

To be successful we need the knowledge and insight of local people. Throughout the project there will be multiple opportunities for local people to help shape project proposals. We’ll also be creating opportunities to learn more about rivers and the wildlife they support and to get actively involved in improving rivers and building flood resilience. To find out more about our plans and how you can get involved and influence what we do, use the link below to add yourself to the project mailing list.

 

Join the SSFRI mailing list.

 

The Silk Stream Catchment

 

The Silk Stream is a major tributary of the River Brent, rising on the Harrow Weald and Barnet Plateau and joining the Brent at the Welsh Harp Reservoir. It has several tributaries including Burnt Oak Brook and Edgware Brook. The Silk Stream is an important resource for wildlife and, along with Burnt Oak Brook, is designated a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. Welsh Harp Reservoir where the Silk Stream meets the Brent is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the diversity of breeding water birds that it supports.

 

Flooding is a serious concern in the catchment and it’s estimated that over 1000 properties are at risk. As the catchment has become increasingly urbanised with natural vegetation replaced by hard surfaces, water is less able to soak into the ground and during intense rainfall events water levels can rise rapidly, causing flooding.

 

Pollution is another problem that affects the Silk Stream, coming from a variety of sources including plumbing misconnections and connectivity between the surface water and foul sewers. During high rainfall events the sewers reach capacity and these problems are intensified.

How will the project help?

Traditional approaches to managing flood risk have focused on concrete flood defences but there is a growing movement towards natural flood management (NFM) which works with nature to slow the flow of water entering rivers, create natural flood storage and reconnect rivers to their flood plains.

The project will see the creation of new wetlands in several parks in the Silk Stream catchment which will help build flood resilience, improve water quality, boost biodiversity and provide valuable blue/green spaces for people to enjoy.

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) such as rain gardens will be created in the urban streetscape to help remove pollutants from road run-off and slow the flow of water entering the surface water sewer system.

The project will also enlist the help of Thames Water, using innovative ‘thermosensors’ to discover where surface water is entering the foul network as part of efforts to address sewer flooding and the serious issues pollution that affect the catchment.

By using a variety of solutions and looking at the catchment as a whole the project will create tangible environmental benefits and allow for learning that can help replicate these benefits across the broader Brent Catchment and beyond.

Get involved

Contact us at silkstream@thames21.org.uk if you have any questions to find out how you can get involved.

 

More than 17,000 people vote for the Green's Emma Wallace in Brent & Harrow GLA poll - FULL RESULTS

 

The Green Party candidate, Emma Wallace won the support of 17,472 voters in the Brent and Harrow GLA constituency. This gave her 10.3% of the overall vote and nearly 3,000 more votes than the Liberal Democrat candidate. Krupesh Hirani had a convincing win for the Labour Party and will succeed Navin Shah.  At his victory speech this evening  he made it clear he would represent everyone in Brent and Harrow, and not just those who had voted for him.

Greens also beat the Liberal Democrats in the London-wide Assembly election so together the three results confirm the Green Party as the third party in Brent and Harrow.

The full results  for the constituency are below (click bottom right for full page view). The winner of the London Mayoral vote and the number of London-wide Assembly Members for each party will not be known until other constituencies have been counted tomorrow and may not be known until the count and calculations have been completed which could extend into Sunday.

Count agents were concerned that some voters seemed to have misunderstood the Mayoral voting paper. The layout was confusing as a result of having so many candidates. Some voters appeared to have thought the first column of names was for first preference and the second column of names was for second preference votes or that they could have first and second choices in each column of names. Two single columm sheets would have been clearer. As a result many votes were invalid. (Mock ups below from @london_rocklad) A total of 8,747 (5%) voted for 'too many' in the 1st preference vote.

 

 

Interestingly, more than 70% of the total votes were postal votes.

See LINK

Greens call for investment, strategic planning and transparency from Harrow Council - guest post by Emma Wallace (Green Party candidate for Brent and Harrow GLA)

 Guest post by Emma Wallace, Green Party candidate for the GLA Brent and Harrow Constituency

 

Harrow Council’s Cuts to Environmental Services and Lack of Action on the Climate Emergency Part 2

 

Greens call for investment, strategic planning and transparency from Harrow Council  

 

 

We have to get serious about the climate emergency

 

Our council tax in Harrow is going up by 5.8% from the 1^st April, moving our borough from the third highest council tax rate in London to second, just behind Kingston which takes the top spot  LINK .  Whilst you would hope this would mean, if not an increase to our public services, at least protection of the ones we already have, this is unfortunately not to be the case.  The Council has been put under huge constraints by the decimation of local authority funding from central government and having to ringfence a large percentage of the budget to meet statutory duties such as adult social care LINK .  This has resulted in ever dwindling amounts of money to cover the multitude of other essential services the Council should be providing.  One council department that is bearing the brunt of our shrinking local authority budgets is the Environmental Services department, seeing its staffing budget cut by £250 000 from April 2021 LINK .  At a time when we are facing an unprecedented climate emergency, coupled with an increase in population and demand on many of our services, including our local parks and reserves due to the pandemic, this cut seems to be incredibly short-sighted.  The resultant negative consequences for our borough’s environment, its residents and the Council’s ability to meet its own climate and ecological emergency targets cannot be underestimated.

 

A Climate Emergency

 

The council declared a climate emergency in July 2019, resolving to “make the London Borough of Harrow carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption of emissions”. LINK     The council created a related strategy to meet its carbon neutral goals, committing to working towards 100% renewable energy in the borough, making homes, schools and commercial buildings more energy efficient, to decarbonise vehicles and move to sustainable travel, to minimise waste and support recycling, to protect and restore the biodiversity we have and to engage communities to become eco literate  LINK.  More recently, the Council reiterated in its 2021/22 budget that one of its key priorities is “Improving the environment and addressing climate change”  LINK .  Indeed, the council has made a number of public announcements, formed a ‘Climate & Sustainability Partnership’ with other organisations including local environmental groups and produced a ‘London Borough of Harrow Climate Change Strategy’ 2019-2024  LINK.   This most recent climate change strategy has not made it to the Council’s ‘Climate Change - Environment and Parks’ out-of-date webpages though LINK . 

 

Harrow Council’s public commitment to fighting climate change is commendable and urgent if we are to stay within the projected 1.5 degrees of warming in the next ten years and avoid the worst predictions of environmental breakdown.  The reality is though, that these goals are completely untenable unless the Council fully invests in meeting these goals, allocates ongoing budgets, devises an actionable, joined-up strategy and recruits a strong in-house team to works towards achieving its targets.  Unfortunately, as we can see from the most recent Environmental Services staffing cuts this does not appear to be happening.   In May 2020, ‘The Student View’ charity made a Freedom of Information request asking if the council had discussed the costs of climate change adaption to enable it to meet its climate and ecological emergency targets.  It emerged it had not: “the issue of budget and additional resources for delivering the council’s pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030 hasn’t yet been discussed in detail through the Council’s Climate Change steering group meetings with the Cabinet members.” LINK     Last year, the council stated it was spending “£150,000 on tackling the climate emergency, covering staff costs as well as external support and advice on how to reduce carbon emissions”  LINK .  It is not clear exactly what this money was spent on or if a similar amount has been allocated to address the climate emergency this financial year.  

 

The Environmental Services Team and Transparency

 

Harrow Council’s Environmental Services department is responsible for a multitude of areas, including our parks, open spaces and nature reserves, street trees, allotments, verge maintenance, street cleaning, fly tipping and general waste management amongst other things, and it has already suffered from years of cut backs.  These areas all have a significant role to play in the Council meeting its 2019-2023 climate change strategy.  Trying to establish the roles that make up the Environmental Services team though and what ones have been cut is incredibly difficult.  Whilst there is an ‘Environmental and Parks’ area on Harrow Council’s website, it is hard to find who is exactly responsible for the many different areas.  At a Harrow VCS Forum ‘Environment & Sustainability Subgroup’ meeting in November 2017, a request was made to Graham Henson, now Leader of the Council, asking for a list of key environmental services council officers to liaise with and how best to contact them for a speedy response.  Mr Henson’s answer was that, basically, there isn’t a list available and it’s best to make contact with the Head of Service, Dave Corby LINK.  This raises the issue that as council tax paying residents, should we not expect to easily find out what roles people hold, what they do and how we can make contact with them in the council?  Should we not also expect timely replies from the council officers and councillors that represent us?  This frequently does not appear to be the case.  It is imperative that our Council is transparent and accountable to members of the public so they can effectively support the community it serves. 

 

Department Re-shuffle

 

Dave Corby who has been ‘Head of Community Engagement’ for many years has now retired, taking with him a breadth of knowledge on our parks and local environment that will be a real loss to Harrow.  It is unclear if he is being directly replaced, but the Environmental Services department has recently undergone a reshuffle, with Rebecca Johnson now the new Head of Environment and Waste Strategy and Desiree Mahoney acting as the Community Engagement Officer.  Mark Richardson is the Green Team Manager and Ray Fox the Parks Manager; Rebecca Farrar is the Tree Protection Officer and Steve Whitbread is Biodiversity Officer.  There has been a recent advert for ‘Head of Transport and Environmental Operations’ at the Council,  LINK , stating that the role is within the newly formed Environmental Services Directorate and that the “post holder will be responsible for fleet management of over 300 vehicles, Special Needs Transport Service, Waste and Recycling collections, Trade Waste Collections, Street Cleansing and Ancillary Services, Parks and Open spaces and other associated support services.  The post holder will be responsible the management of a revenue budget of £25 million and a capital budget of £8 million.”   LINK

 

 This is a huge range of responsibilities for one person, especially in light of the fact that the Environmental Services team has recently been reduced (which roles, is still unclear).  This advert does reveal the department’s budget figure though, something that is almost impossible to establish otherwise or the individual spending and allocations within the department.  The remaining roles (and other unestablished ones) within the Environmental Services team are integral to ensuring our local environment is healthy, sustainable, green and biodiverse.  With the latest round of staffing cuts, it can only be seen that this will be detrimental to our local environment and make it even harder for the council to meet its climate targets.

 

 

Greens call for Action, Investment and Transparency

 

Whilst we are dealing with an onslaught of problems brought on by ten years of austerity, coupled with the economic, social and health difficulties as a result of the pandemic, the climate emergency is not going away and must be addressed.  As the UN Environment Programme Head warned in August 2020 “There is no vaccine for climate change. We must embed sustainability into COVID-19 recovery” .  Unfortunately, at the moment, Harrow Council appears to lack the vision, financial investment and staffing to fully realise its aims of reducing the borough’s carbon emissions and become carbon neutral.  Harrow residents deserve a council who leads on action to mitigate the worse effects of climate change, being accountable and transparent every step of the way.  It is imperative that the council takes urgent action on the climate emergency to avoid the impending ecosystem collapse we potentially face.      

 

A council in London who are also tackling the climate and ecological emergency head on is the West London Borough of Hounslow, who are currently advertising a wide range two year fixed posts to deliver a Green recovery.  The team will include a Programme Director (Climate Change and Green Recovery), and Project Manager (Climate Emergency and Environmental Strategy) to deliver Hounslow's Climate Emergency Action Plan and Green Recovery Strategy.  There will also be three Project Manager's (Green Recovery) to develop and implement "strategies to improve the quality of the environment in Hounslow, with a focus on low carbon neighbourhoods, low carbon economy or green growth and 21st century mobility".   There will be two Sustainability Officer's to "deliver a variety of projects and initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions, and environmental and socio-environmental impacts across Hounslow" and two Green Recovery Officer's to improve the environent in Hounslow.  The total budget for this environmental team is up to £482 275, showing Hounslow Council is putting its money where its mouth is and really investing in dealing with the climate emergency

 

In my next blog…I’ll be taking a look at how Harrow’s parks and green spaces have been impacted by ten years of council cuts and how these rich, biodiverse spaces are an excellent way for the council to move towards meeting their climate change targets.  I will also be shining a light on the many amazing volunteer environmental organisations we have in Harrow and how they are leading the way in maintaining and improving our green spaces.  

Greens put forward a radical new solution to strengthen local government via a fairer funding system

This is the first of a series of guest posts by Emma Wallance, Brent  & Harrow Green Party GLA candidate.

Harrow Council have announced that they are increasing the 2021/22 council tax by the maximum legal limit amount allowed to 4.99%.  This means that the council has increased Harrow’s council tax rates by their maximum amount year on year, for the last ten years.  In 2011/12 the average council tax rate in Harrow for band D (there are 8 bands, A-H) was £1186.55, in comparison to this year’s 2020/21 rate of £1522.72 for a band D property  LINK .  That is a £336.17 or +28.33% increase in ten years.  In comparison, neighbouring boroughs Ealing and Brent current council tax rates for 2020/21 band D properties are £1239.15 and £1312.74 respectively.  If we look London wide, Harrow residents are paying the third highest council tax out of the 32 London boroughs, with only Kingston and Richmond charging more.  In addition, Sadiq Khan has announced an increase to the Greater London Authority (GLA) council tax precept by 1.99%, or £363.66 for an average Band D property LINK .  This tax is collected by the 32 London councils on behalf of the GLA and consequently means that Harrow’s Council Tax will see a total overall increase of 5.9% next year.

 

This huge increase in council tax next year will come as a devastating blow to Harrow residents, many of whom are struggling with job losses and the increased pressures brought on by the Covid19 pandemic.  

 

Withdrawal of Central Government Funding

 

The increase in council tax must be seen in relation to the withdrawal of central government funding to local authorities that the Conservative government have presided over for the last ten years, reducing funding support in London by £4 billion   LINK  .  Evidence shows that a decade of imposed austerity from central government has resulted in core funding to local authorities being cut by 63% in real terms  LINK . Harrow Council was already one of the lowest funded councils in both London and nationally, with funding being reduced from £52.1 million to £1.6 million in the last ten years – a reduction of 97%  LINK .

 

This decimation in central government funding has left the current Labour administration in Harrow council in an untenable situation, having to bridge next year’s funding gap by almost £31 million LINK .  This has resulted in ever increasing costs being pushed on to local residents, whilst the council provide fewer and fewer services.  As Councillor Adam Swersky, responsible for finance at Harrow Council has stated, council tax has effectively become a ‘national stealth tax’ “with the Government shifting responsibility to local authorities to compensate for a lack of financial support.” LINK      

Lost Local Public Services

 

We have seen savage cuts to our public services in Harrow over the last ten years, from housing, education, public health, as well as both environmental and community services.  Street cleaning has seen repeated cutbacks, with, for example £172 000 cut from its budget in 2014, reducing the frequency of our street cleaning  LINK .  The Council’s waste collection services have also diminished over the last ten years, seeing in 2015 the introduction of the very unpopular £75 garden waste charge, a service that used to be included in our council tax.  It has since been revealed as one of the highest garden waste charges in England LINK    This lack of investment in street cleaning and waste services has continued for many years, with the now infamous 2017 footage, capturing rats swarming around bin bags in a Harrow car park LINK . 

 

We have also seen the closure of four of our ten public libraries in 2015 (the Bob Lawrence, Hatch End, North Harrow and Rayners Lane libraries), cutting a local service that provided a lifeline to many who are isolated or in need of library services.  In 2018, our two local Harrow MPs debated the issue in Parliament, with Harrow West’s Labour MP Gareth Thomas highlighting the unrelenting cuts and calling for the council to be “better funded”.  Mr Thomas highlighted the rise in violent crime in the borough and how youth services had been cut by more than 75% since 2010.  Conservative Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, responded by accusing the council of not being business friendly enough and needing to work together to apply for additional grants. LINK

 

The Impact of Demographic Changes and Covid

 

The reduction in central government funding, can also be seen in relation to a demographic change in London over the last ten years, with Harrow’s population increasing by 7.6%  LINK . The increase in residents, coupled with an aging population, has resulted in ever greater pressures being placed on our local services.  This can be seen most acutely on our social care services, where demand has increased across all age groups.  Social care is an area which must be ring fenced by 3% in the councils’ budgets every year, with the council this year applying for an additional social care grant to help with the increased pressures on brought on by COVID-19.  Indeed, the unprecedented situation caused by the pandemic has placed a huge strain on council budgets, with increased demand on an array of services LINK  .  Whilst the Tory government assured councils’ that they should do ‘whatever it takes’ to support residents through the pandemic, promising ‘Emergency Funding’ to councils, this has not been fully realised and the amounts have not been enough to cover all costs incurred.  As a result, there is now an even bigger funding shortfall than there was before the pandemic started  LINK  .

 

Harrow Council consequently is in a situation of ongoing funding reduction from central government, changes in demographics and the resultant increased pressure on services, whilst also dealing with the impacts of Covid.  This is tragically resulting in an even bigger reduction in the services provided by the council at a time when we need them more than ever.  

 

The Green Party’s Vision for the Future

 

The pandemic has revealed how years of under investment have resulted in local communities being exposed and vulnerable to the health and social realities brought on by this crisis.   Whilst we have seen incredible local voluntary initiatives over the last year, with people coming together to help and support each other, it is not a long term sustainable solution.  Local government needs to be properly financed to ensure Harrow is a healthy and safe place for residents to live and thrive in.  The Green Party have progressive plans to invest in local communities and our vital local services, believing that Council Tax needs to be radically overhauled.  We would like to see council tax and business rates replaced with a Land Value Tax (LVT) or ‘developers’ duty’, which will capture the value of the land not the property.   The current council tax band system is out of date and unfair, based on property prices from when the tax first emerged in 1991.  It favours wealthy home owners and landlords, with costs often bypassing the owners of rented properties, passing instead to tenants.   As joint leader of the Green Party, Jonathan Bartley states, “Council tax is regressive and it’s the past”  LINK    .  The LVT will be a proportionate and locally controlled property tax – “a single tax (replacing the multiple taxes that currently exist) which will capture the real value of land, and the increased value arising from improvements to it.”  LINK    

 

Green Party Sian Berry has also just pledged to set up a People’s Land Commission if she becomes London Mayor in May, helping to restore and revive local communities.  It is local communities who best understand the areas they live in, and they are the ones who should be consulted “to transform their own high streets, plan a low carbon future, and create community infrastructure and new homes.”  Read more HERE. 

Green Party GLA candidate calls for government action against asset stripper Philip Green as Harrow Debenhams faces closure

Debenhams, Harrow yesterday

Following the news about the collapse of Debenhams and the imminent closure of its Harrow store, Emma Wallace, GLA Green Party candidate for Brent and Harrow, has called for government action against owner Philip Green.

Emma said:

I am very sad to hear of the demise of Debenhams and particularly, the Debenhams in Harrow.  The closure of this historic and iconic store will leave a huge hole in a local town centre and is another nail in the coffin for the local high street as a place for retail and community.  It will also result in thousands of jobs being lost at a time when people are already struggling to get by, with Christmas round the corner, the impact of Covid being felt and with Brexit on the horizon.  

The government's universal credit scheme is not fit for purpose and with UC cuts also looming, it will not provide an adequate safety net for people losing their jobs.  Whilst we have seen the government handing out contracts to new and unregulated companies with little to no accountability during the pandemic, their response to ordinary British workers has been lacking and confused in this most difficult of years.  The government must do the right thing and provide proper financial support for the thousands who are potentially set to lose their retail jobs.

Philip Green, the Debenhams and Arcardia group owner, who ironically was made a Knight in 2006 'For Services to Retail Industry', has been hugely detrimental to the British high street, seeing his scandalous, asset stripping continued unabated for nearly twenty years.  The government has again, completely failed to hold Green to account, first seeing the demise of BHS in 2016, leaving the business with £571 million pension debt and now one of the largest and oldest names on the high street collapsing under his tenure.  It is essential the govenment now holds Green to account and he clears any existing pensions deficit with the Arcardia retail jobs lost.

Green GLA candidate condemns Priti Patel's 'inflammatory 'language' on immigration lawyers after right-wing attack on Harrow solicitors

Cavan Medlock, 28, from Harrow in north-west London, allegedly visited the offices of Duncan Lewis Solicitors in Harrow  last month armed with a large knife and threatened to kill a member of staff last month.

 

At his trial last week, the prosecution alleged Medlock planned to take a solicitor hostage and display flags of Nazi Germany and the US Confederacy in the firm’s office windows to inspire others to carry out similar offences. He allegedly blamed lawyers at the firm for preventing the removal of immigrants from the UK.

 

Days earlier the home secretary, Priti Patel, had claimed activist lawyers were frustrating the removal of refused asylum seekers from the UK.

 

Medlock is charged with six offences including the charge of preparation of an act of terrorism, racially or religiously aggravated attacks against two members of staff at the law firm, and threats to kill.

Emma Wallace, Green Party candidate for the Brent and Harrow GLA consituency said today:

It is incredibly concerning to hear that the UK home secretary, Priti Patel, dismissed intelligence briefings from counter-terrorism police over the alleged far-right terror attack that was attempted at a local Harrow law firm at the beginning of September.  LINK

The Home Secretary's key role is to use intelligence provided to her and the Home Office to protect local communities and ensure they are kept safe and secure from any such threats from rightwing terrorism.  Instead, the home secretary ignored intelligence reports and is recorded using inflammatory and deregoratry language to describe immigration lawyers, in effect contributing to a rise in hatred and extremism, rather than quell it.

Brent and Harrow are diverse boroughs whose residents deserve to be protected by government - not undermined and endangered by it. I call on my fellow GLA Brent and Harrow candidates to condemn the Home Secretary’s inflammatory language and her  lack of action on the threat from right-wing groups and individuals.

Harrow Law Centre Director, Pamela Fitzpatrick, who is also a Harrow councillor, told the Harrow Monitoring Group website LINK:

This is very worrying as Harrow Law Centre has three immigration solicitors and less funding for security than big firms. This is the result of the actions of the Tories calling us activist lawyers.

After the alleged attack, Duncan Lewis wrote to the Law Society asking it to contact the home secretary and the lord chancellor “to ensure that attacks on the legal profession are prevented from this point forth”. It added: “The position as it stands is untenable, dangerous and cannot be allowed to persist.”

On Sunday 800 prominent legal experts wrote an open letter to the Guardian LINK:

We are all deeply concerned at recent attacks, made by the home secretary and echoed by the prime minister, on lawyers seeking to hold the government to the law.

Such attacks endanger not only the personal safety of lawyers and others working for the justice system, as has recently been vividly seen; they undermine the rule of law, which ministers and lawyers alike are duty-bound to uphold.

We invite both the home secretary and the Prime minister to behave honourably by apologising for their display of hostility, and to refrain from such attacks in the future.

In support of the letter, former director of public prosecutions Lord Macdonald QC said:

The home secretary may not grasp the indecency of her language, but the prime minister should know better.

Lawyers who represent demonised people are always attacked by populist politicians, but it is demeaning to our country and its institutions that the government itself is now dipping into this disreputable playbook.

It is precisely this sort of ugly authoritarianism that the rule of law is called upon to counter. The entire legal profession is proud of those lawyers who are being so crudely and dangerously vilified.