UPDATE: Butt resigns from London Councils equalities post

Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council has resigned from his post as Equalities lead at the 32 borough cross-party London Councils.

Although Jewish News and Brent and Kilburn Times have attributed this to the Facebook controversy there has been no official confirmation that this was the case and there may well be another reason.

I have put in a request to London Councils and Brent Council asking for a statement about the reasons for the resignation.

UPDATE - I have received this from the London Councils Media Officer:

A London Councils' spokesperson said: "We can confirm that Cllr Muhammed Butt has resigned as equalities lead for London Councils. A new equalities lead will be appointed by our Leaders' Committee in due course. I can also confirm that his resignation is linked to the post that was shared on Facebook."

London Councils statement on forced primary academisation

Grand Alliance needed to fight forced academisation

It was fitting that it was the Chancellor of the Exchequer who announced the new government policy of forcing every local authority school to become an academy because the policy has everything to do with the seizing of public assets for private profit and very little to do with education.

On Twitter yesterday I called it a proposal with no democratic mandate to abolish democratic accountability fo schools.

It is now widely acknowledged that there is no convincing proof that acdemisation improves the quality of education, even when judged solely by narrow examination results. At the same time Ofsted has been critical of the educational failure of some academy chains and the high salaries (creamed off from schools) that their CEOs command.

It is easy to ignore the fact that the public service ethos in local government is not just limited to Labour or Lib Dem led authorities but is also shared by some Conservatives. LINK   This shared commitment could be the basis of a Grand Alliance to fight to maintain the role of local authorities in the oversight of educational provision.

The statement by the Local Government Association yesterday LINK is particularly significant and an opportunity for dialogue with an influential body that could make an impact on the Chancellor's plans.

The government often claims that parents are in favour of 'freeing' schools from local authority 'control' but there is no evidence for this. London Councils research in September 2014 indicated that parents would like to see MORE powers for local authorities to intervene in poorly performing academies and free schools LINK:

A new report has found substantial variation and confusion about these things. According to research by You Gov for London Councils, parents are most likely to look to their local authority, rather than Ofsted or the Department for Education, if they have concerns about school governance or leadership, inappropriate treatment of their child by staff, educational issues or bullying.

This finding reflects many parents’ imperfect knowledge about where responsibility lies. For example, 38% of London parents with a child in an academy school believe their local authority has the power to step in if the school is under performing, and no less than 56% of those with youngsters in free schools believe the same.

In fact, local authorities have no such formal powers, as academies and free schools are run by central government. Yet many parents clearly wish they did. You Gov found strong parental support for councils having powers to intervention across the spectrum of state schools. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this was found to be highest, at 77%, among London parents with children at local authority maintained schools. However, 68% of parents with children at free schools and 63% of those with children at academies felt the same way. Even 35% of parents who’ve “gone private” would like their council to be able to step in in this way.

There was even stronger parental support for local authorities having influence over schools in their area expanding and supplying more places. At 81%, this is up by five points compared with the same time last year. London Councils thinks this particularly significant in view of its own estimate that the capital will need a further 133,000 school places, secondary and primary combined, by 2018 to accommodate its current baby boom. And it is highlighting all parts of the report suggesting parents favour local councils having more clout in education oversight and provision.

A campaign uniting education unions, governor organisations,  local authorities and parent groups could be very effective in maintaining the democratic accountability of schools, their public service ethos and saving them from privatisation.

In the short term there is the demonstration advertised above and a Twitter storm organised to coincide with Nicky Morgan's appearance on BBC 1 Question Time tonight:

Teacher ROAR ‏@TeacherROAR 1 hr1 hour ago

SPREAD THE WORD FOLKS! Twitterstorm tonight to coincide with Nicky Morgan on BBC QT. When the programme starts use the hashtag #tellNickyNO

A petition against the policy has also been launched: CLICK HERE TO GO TO PETITION

This is the wording of the petition:
 

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Hold a public inquiry and a referendum over turning all schools into academies 

The government has announced that every school in England will become an academy. This was not in their manifesto and is therefore a completely undemocratic move. 

There is growing evidence that academies underperform & serious questions about their financial oversight. Buildings & land are being handed over to unaccountable orgs. Once they are transferred there is no legal mechanism to get them back. Before all schools become academies we demand the government holds a full public inquiry - that takes into account educational research and the views of teachers, parents and students - followed by a referendum in order to show that they have a mandate.

  

'Prudent' Brent budget still has some risks of under delivery including Public Health and Youth Service

The Chief Finance Officer's Assessment of Brent Council's proposed budget asserts that it contains the right mixture of risk and prudence. However he highlights some areas where the risk of under-delivery is more signifcant.

The full list of cuts and savings can be found HERE

In the extract below in italics is the Chief Finance Officer's statement and below an extract from the savings document,  I was particularly concerned about the proposals on Public Health (PH3) following the removal of the ring-fence, especially after the report to the Cabinet at their last meeting LINK  We need to know exactly what is being cut and what the impact is as well as what needs should be met that may not have been met hithertoo. Brent Council only took on responsibility for the Public Health of Under 5s a few months ago.

There were warnings last year about the deliverability of the changes in the Youth Service and this remains an issue.

Soem of the other proposals seem vague at best.

I am sorry about the problems with the formatting. There are often problems transferring text from PDFs on to this blog.

 

a.     Proposal CYP3, which requires savings of £0.9m from a complex reorganisation of youth services 


Reduce management and infrastructure costs in 2015/16, and establish a new delivery model by 2016. Savings of £100k include in 2015/16.

b.     Proposal R&G1,which requires a further reduction in TA costs of £0.5m in 2016/17 and a further £0.5m in 2017/18. This reflects the complex demographic and legislative pressures in this area. 


Savings of £1.3m were included for 2015/16 based on underspending in 2013/14 and reflecting the expectation that service demand would be less than anticipated in the original model . A  further £1.0m saving was included for 2016/17 and 2017/18

c.      R&G25f, which requires a surplus, over time, of £0.35m p.a. from the Lettings Agency, although none of this is budgeted for in 2016/17 


BHP will be establishing a lettings agency in 2014. The business plan projects completed additional surpluses of £350k per annum bein generated from year five (2018/19). The saving represents increased income from the provision property and tenancy management services to private sector properties

d.     ACE2, which plans to reduce the council’s contribution to the London Boroughs Grant Committee by £0.34m in 2017/18, which cannot be achieved without securing a two-thirds majority in London Councils

Review of grant funding to London Councils

The Council cannot withdraw from, or unilaterally reduce its funding to, the Grants Programme. On the contrary, s.48(7) Local Government Act 1985 provides that a grants scheme such as this one, once agreed by the majority of the London borough councils, may be binding upon a dissenting London Borough council in the absence of its agreement. We have explored the legislative scope for this. Section 48 of the Local Government Act 1985, which established the London Councils grant scheme, stipulates that councils can only vary their contribution to the grant scheme with the agreement of at least two thirds of London Boroughs. The time available to implement any agreed change would significantly limit the level of savings achieved in 2015/2016. The Council could start conversations now with leaders of other councils with a view to introducing a reduction in funding to London Councils at the end of this cycle of projects i.e. April 2017.

e.     HR1 & L&P1, which collectively require further savings of £1.6m in the council’s legal services and human resources department.

HR1It is proposed to carry out a major reconfiguration of the HR service in 2015/16 saving £1.4m by 2016/17. This will result in the merging of some areas in order to reduce the number of managers required in the new structure. It is the intention to devolve responsibility for some existing activities undertaken by the Learning and Development team to HR Managers. Other activities will be accommodated by a new performance team with a broader remit which will include resourcing, workforce development, policy and projects. In addition it is proposed to cap the existing trade union facilties time allocation awarded to GMB and Unison to a maximium of 1 x PO1 post per trade union, to move the occupational health service inhouse saving £60k and reduce the learning and development budget by £67k. In year 2016/17 further reductions in staffing can be potentially achieved through shared service arrangements within payroll, pensions, HR management information and recruitment. Savings of £696k included in 2015/16.

L&P1 Different options of service delivery – outsourcing – private legal firm / buying from local authority that sells legal services and also London Wide work of setting up a shared service. Proposal to enter a shared service for legal. Savings of £400k have been brought forward from future years to 2016/17. Savings of £458k included in 2015/16.

f.      PH3, where savings of £1m against the public health grant are required 


 

Agreed that efficiencies would be made within public health once the grant ceased to be ring fenced and further opportunities sought to use grant to deliver across Council functions

g.     R&G32,where  savings of £1.5m are required through implementation of 
the customer access strategy. 


Implementation of new customer access strategy with a specific aim to reduce the current costs of contact handling by migrating custome contact on line, improve the efficiencies of telephone handling arrangements and optimising use of shared data to reduce the nee for customers to have to contact multiple services with the same

information. There is a £1.5m of savings which will be achieved across the Council and held as a central saving in 2016/17

Brent's Muhammed Butt to be London Councils Equalities Lead despite racial discrimination finding

Despite the Employment Tribunal finding that Brent Council racially discriminated against an employee, victimised her and construcitvely dismissed her, Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council was appointed Equalities Lead by London Councils at their AGM yesterday.

No action has been taken against the CMT members named in the Employment Tribunal case.

Parent survey of Local Authority role in education shows potential support for Green Party policies

I print below the full press release from London Councils on the YouGov poll they commissioned on parents' views of the role of local authorities in education.  Green Party policy adopted at our Spring Conference is for the restoration of LAs power to build new schools where they are needed and for the integration of academies and free schools into the LA system.  Labour Party policy, especially on academies and free schools, has not broken free from Coalition policies.

The survey shows that we have a potential audience amongst parents for these policies.

• Leadership: 41 per cent of parents would turn to their council first if they had governance and leadership concerns – only 28 per cent say Ofsted.
• Free schools: 68 per cent feel that local authorities should have powers to intervene in these schools, an increase of 6 percentage points from last year.
• School places:  81 per cent support council influence over school places, up from 76 per cent last year.

London parents would turn to their local authority first if they had concerns about their local schools, a new survey reveals.

In the first survey of London parents since the Birmingham ‘Trojan Horse’ scandal, the highest proportion, 41 per cent, of parents said their first point of contact if they were concerned about governance and leadership in their child’s school would be their local authority - 28 per cent said Ofsted, 4 per cent said central government.

The poll, carried out by YouGov on behalf of London Councils, which represents London’s 33 local authorities, also found rising support from parents for councils to have a role in underperforming free schools.  Of those polled, 68 per cent of parents considered that local authorities should have power of influence over free schools, up by 6 percentage points from last year.

Asked whether they support councils having influence over all schools in their area (including free schools and academies) to find more school places or expand, 81 per cent of parents agreed – up from 76 per cent last year.

Cllr Peter John, London Councils’ Executive member for children and young people, said: “If you’re a parent and you’re worried about leadership or staff issues at your local school, it’s only natural you’d turn to your local council where they know the local issues. But councils don’t have formal oversight over free schools and academies, which is evidently confusing for parents, as this survey reveals.

“What’s more, parents increasingly support a council role in influencing schools to expand, if there is clear local need to build more places. This isn’t surprising given the scale of the shortage in London.
“Of course head teachers should run schools day-to-day, but it’s clear from this survey that on the wider issues, parents want a council role. The government should listen to mums and dads and allow councils to act in parents’ interests.”

Pressure on school places continues to rise in London due to a recent baby boom. London needs to create 133,000 primary and secondary school places by 2018, according to recent London Councils’ analysis (1). Councils are responsible for providing a place for every child, but cannot open schools themselves or direct academies to expand in areas of need.

83 per cent said there is an important council role in ensuring education standards are high in schools, up slightly from 82 per cent who said this last year.

The poll also revealed that 51 per cent of parents thought the education system was more under central government control than they had previously assumed.

There was also a modest 3 per cent rise (from 29 per cent in 2013 to 32 per cent in 2014) in parents opposed to the idea of moving toward more academies and free schools.

Parents 'want councils to have powers to act on failing free schools'

With Michaela  Free School due to open on September 15th and Brent Council committed to talks with free schools providers to create  extra school places in Brent, parents may be interested in this report from today's Evening Standard:

Report by Anna Davis

Growing numbers of London parents want local authorities to step in if standards drop in free schools, new research reveals.
There is confusion among parents with children at free schools about who exactly is responsible for intervening if there are problems, according to a poll carried out by YouGov.

More than half of parents with a child at a free school in London said they believe local authorities have the power to intervene if it is underperforming.

But in fact local authorities have no powers over free schools, which are independently run and accountable to the Department for Education 

Parents were then asked which schools local authorities should have powers over — and 68 per cent said free schools. This is six percentage points higher than when the same survey was carried out last year. Sixty three per cent of parents said councils should have control over academies, which are also independent.

It is the first survey of London parents since the so-called “Trojan Horse” takeover plot in Birmingham schools and was carried out by London Councils, which represents all local authorities in the capital.

Peter John, London Councils’ Executive member for children and young people, said: “If you are a parent and you are worried about leadership or staff issues at your local school, it’s only natural you’d turn to your local council. Of course head teachers should run schools day-to-day, but it’s clear that on the wider issues, parents want a council role.”

The survey found that 81 per cent of parents want councils to be able to ask free schools and academies to expand to fit more pupils in. This has increased from 76 per cent last year. Councils are responsible for providing a school place for every child, but cannot open schools themselves or direct academies to expand.

London Councils predicts that 133,000 new primary and secondary school places are needed by 2018 to cope with growing demand.

Mr John said: “Parents increasingly support a council role in influencing schools to expand, if there is clear local need. This isn’t surprising given the shortage in London.”

A Department for Education spokesman said: “We have consistently demonstrated that we are tough on underperformance in all types of school. When we have concerns about academies or free schools, we act quickly. The introduction of Regional schools Commissioners and Head Teacher Boards will further ensure swift action in the small number of cases where academies struggle

London Councils warns funding cuts will hit rising school standards in the capital

Government changes to education funding will undermine rising school standards in the capital, according to new analysis. 

The Department for Education is consulting on changes to the Education Services Grant (ESG), which funds a raft of critical services such as school improvement, education welfare services and supporting pupils with special educational needs. The consultation includes an intention to cut the ESG by at least 20 per cent in the next year.

London Councils, which represents London’s 33 local authorities, in its consultation response expressed concern that the proposed changes risk undoing the fabric that has delivered unrivalled and continued success in London to raise school standards and improve children’s outcomes. 

Through the London Challenge scheme, involving councils and schools working in partnership, London’s schools have been transformed from amongst the worst in England and Wales in 2003, to the best-performing today, even when taking deprivation into account. 

The proposed reduction of funding, amounting to £24 million in 2015/16, will limit the ability of local authorities to deliver school improvement services.

London Councils’ analysis notes the proposed changes outline a government vision that seeks to limit the local authority role in school improvement to support all schools. This is inconsistent with how parents see the council role, how Ofsted see the council role, and even how the government itself has said it sees the council role.

London Councils’ analysis also outlines a number of changes that could impact support available to pupils and to improve the quality of education in the capital:

• The proposed funding does not recognise the higher costs in London to deliver services. Ignoring the higher staff and delivery costs in London means ESG funding will not go as far to support schools and children in the capital as it would for other regions in England.  London Councils is calling on the Department for Education to include an “Area Cost Adjustment” for the capital that will reflect its higher costs.
• London has experienced the largest growth in the number of pupils with special education need (SEN) statements in England. Demand increased by seven per cent between 2009 and 2013 in London, compared to two per cent nationally. A reduction in funding for support services delivered through ESG for these children would go against rising demand. London Councils is urging Government to ensure that adequate funding is provided to reflect the growing numbers of pupils with SEN.
• Academies will continue to enjoy extra funding, amounting to £54 million nationally, in comparison to local authority maintained schools for the foreseeable future. The DfE has set out an intention to move towards equal levels of funding; London Councils calls on the government to speed up this process and set out a transparent timetable to put into effect. 

Mayor Jules Pipe, London Councils, said: 

London local government is determined that efficient and high quality education is delivered across London and has led the way in ensuring school and pupil outcomes continue to improve – the capital’s schools are now the best performing in England and Wales.

Parents, Ofsted and the law all see a local government role in supporting rising education standards.

The changes in the government’s consultation sit awkwardly with this and will result in confusion for parents about who is responsible for tackling performance issues in all local schools.

The Department for Education must ensure any changes are consistent and do not unfairly affect London parents, who are already worried about the looming school places crisis. 

Brent Labour debating Referendum on raising Council Tax

Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt last night told the audience at Willesden Connects that a vigorous debate was going on in the Labour group about the possibility of Brent Council staging a referendum on raising Council Tax.

This follows the decision of the Green Brighton and Hove Council to seek such a referendum in order to raise Council Tax to protect Adult Social Services. When I tweeted this story Cllr James Denselow, Brent Executive member tweeted back that he was 'very interested to see how this goes'.

Unfortunately the Labour Party in Brighton and Hove have opposed the Referendum LINK and are to move a vote of no confidence in the minority Green administration.

Brent Labour's discussion reflects the large cuts expected in 2015-16 and London Councils' warning LINK that 'without significant changes to the way cuts are applied many boroughs will quickly reach an unsustainable position, and that will affect local services'.

Brent finance officers have warned for some time that continuing the Council Tax freeze risks seriously undermining the council's revenue base.

Muhammed Butt himself said at Willesden Connects that a rise in Council Tax would affect the poorest people who are now expected to pay 20% of the tax. This ironically was the basis of the demonstration at Full Council on Monday when the protesters wanted that group protected - something that has happened in other boroughs and where Brent's poorest pay the second highest rate in London.

Interestingly in Brighton the GMB union has welcomed the Green move. Mark Turner the city;s GMB organiser said:

This new budget would protect frontline services in adult social care. Cuts would have absolutely terrible consequences on people’s lives. It is only right that the public have a chance to vote on this proposal.

In the Local Government Chronicle, LINK after doubting whether the referendum move would get past the combined Labour and Conservative vote(32 against the Green's 21)  Emma Maier nevertheless wrote:

A referendum in Brighton would truly be democracy in action. Whatever the outcome, this is a historic case. The local and national news stories will go some way to disabusing people of the common perception that council services are funded entirely from council tax, and will ensure that more people are aware of cuts to central funding.

If a referendum were to be held a 'no' vote would probably finish off Britain's first Green administration. But it could also open up a conversation about publicly sanctioned services cuts – and a debate about the role of local government in future.

A 'yes' vote, meanwhile, could change the whole dynamic between central and local government, and between voters and the council. The implication would ripple much further than Brighton's beaches.

The latter scenario is unlikely. But if it can happen anywhere, it would be Brighton.

In a letter to the Guardian today Baroness Ruth Lister of the Labour Party, Chair of Compass Neil Lawson and John Hilary write:

The decision of Brighton council to hold a referendum on whether to increase council tax to pay for essential services is a bold commitment to democracy and equality. Everyone is feeling squeezed as a result of the Tories' draconian cuts to local government and public services, but a political contest over which party will manage austerity more effectively won't change the terms of debate. Money raised collectively, spent collectively and targeted where there is the most need is as essential in Brighton as it is across the UK.

Of course the referendum is not the answer in the long-term, and still makes the poor pay for the crisis, but  it does open up a debate about the adequate financing of local government service.  We have to focus on the disastrous impact of funding cuts on the vulnerable, and the possible deaths that may result.  That is why some are referring to the Brighton referendum as the Social Care referendum, rather than the Council Tax Referendum - this puts the emphasis on the provision of vital services rather than taxes.

This weekend Young Greens are descending on Brighton in large numbers to campaign for the referendum. See thir article on Left Foot Forward HERE 

Here is another view from columnist Simon Jenkins LINK

Further funding cuts unsustainable London Councils tell Government

As Brent Council puts the finishing touches to its budget and Brighton moves towards a referendum on increasing Council Tax to preserve Adult Social Care, London Councils issued the following press release which highlights the unsustainability of further funding cuts.

London Councils has issued a stark warning in its submission to the government’s consultation on the Local Government Finance Settlement 2014/15 that year-on-year cuts to funding are unsustainable.

The response, submitted on Wednesday, raises significant concerns about the long-term sustainability of the local government finance system in London as well as the lack of transparency and coherence in the government’s proposals.

Chair of London Councils, Mayor Jules Pipe, said:

There is nothing to reassure Londoners in this settlement. London is facing the double whammy of disproportionately high cuts along with dramatic increases in demand and costs on multiple levels. By the end of 2015/16 we will have seen a reduction of 44 per cent in central government funding and we have worked flat out to protect and, where possible, improve local services.

London boroughs are now being required to shoulder a disproportionately large share of the overall reduction to local government compared to elsewhere in the country and the government must explain to Londoners why this is the case.

Without significant changes to the way cuts are applied many boroughs will quickly reach an unsustainable position, and that will affect local services.

The response highlights a number of specific concerns. Using the government’s concept of Spending Power per dwelling, it shows that London local government is shouldering a significant part of the government’s deficit reduction programme.

Between 2010/11 and 2015/16 the average reduction in spending power per dwelling in England is £300. In London, the reduction per dwelling was £544.00. This is 81 per cent higher than the national average. In 2014/15 and 2015/16 alone, London will face an overall reduction in spending power per dwelling of £294 compared to the England average of £117. (1)

In addition, unlike councils across the rest of England, London boroughs will lose a proportion of the New Homes Bonus, worth £70 million, which funds the additional costs that fall on local services when new homes are built in a borough.

Mayor Pipe added:

For the past two years the settlement has been announced extremely late. While there may be a number of reasons for this, and it may be helpful for central government, it does little to provide hard-pressed boroughs with the certainty and assurance needed to set budgets and council tax for the following financial year.

View the consultation response submission

London free school parents support LA oversight

As  Michael Gove's free schools policy comes under closer scrutiny London Councils publishes a survey that  shows the majority of free school parents would welcome local authority oversight. I hope that at their Spring Conference the Green Party will adopt a policy of integration of free schools and academies into a local authority school system with improved democratic accountability.
The London Councils statement:

The first survey of London parents’ attitudes to the new educational system reveals that a majority of parents (62 per cent) with children at a free school support councils having a role in dealing with underperforming free schools. This rises to 77 per cent of parents with children in a local authority maintained school who think local authorities should have powers of influence over maintained schools.

The YouGov attitudinal survey, commissioned by London Councils, which represents London’s 33 local authorities, provides evidence of high levels of support among parents for a local government role in taking action to ensure school standards remain high and children and young peoples’ interests are championed.

The majority of parents (76 per cent) support a council role in creating school places through having the ability to influence all schools in their area to find more school places or expand, and 95 per cent think the greatest pressure on places is in London.

The survey also found that:

• London is seen as the best performing region in terms of GCSE performance by London parents (77 per cent), followed by the south east (65 per cent) and the south west (42 per cent)
• 91 per cent of parents with a child at a free school think local authorities have an important role in ensuring high educational standards
• 78 per cent thought the council-run process of applying for a school place was ‘easy’ and 93 per cent got their child into one of their top three choices of schools – (with 72 per cent receiving their first place)
• After the new school system was explained, 53 per cent of parents said that the education system is under more central government control than they had thought previously, with 29 per cent thinking the system was under more local control – 19 per cent did not know.

London’s school situation in particular is of national significance. London requires 118,000 places by 2017 –  and London’s schools have been transformed from one of the UK’s worst performing regions to the highest, following the launch of London Challenge, a partnership of councils, schools and government, in 2003.

Cllr Peter John, London Councils’ Executive Member for Children and Young People, said:

“Parents have been clear in this survey how essential good council involvement is in their children’s education.  It’s especially striking that free school parents are so strong in their support for councils’ work.

“Parents are plainly worried about the school places crisis and want a clear role for councils to work in partnership with all schools so that every child has a place and to ensure school standards continue to rise.

“The government should work with councils to ensure that schools are accountable locally to the communities they serve.”

Call for devolved powers to tackle London's 7,000 vacant shops

The capital has almost 7,000 vacant shops, costing the London economy £350 million in lost trade and earnings, a new study has revealed.

Streets Ahead, produced by London Councils, which represents the capital’s 33 local authorities, looks at the capital’s high streets and makes a range of recommendations to improve the local economy.
The study calls for the government to grant councils more powers to curb betting shops, payday lenders and fried food outlets, which can damage high streets. It shows that devolving more powers to councils would help stimulate growth and new jobs.

Dianna Neal, Head of Economy, Culture and Tourism at London Councils said: 

 “The study’s findings highlight the need for the radical devolution of power and resources to councils to help businesses adapt to a changed consumer environment.

“The government could halt further decline by devolving powers to councils to support high streets, such as the ability to stop the damaging spread of betting shops, payday lenders and fried food outlets.”
Boroughs currently do not have the power to control retail outlets which can deter visitors and also have damaging wider social effects, adding to obesity, gambling addiction and serious debt. Recent changes have also made it easier to turn offices into residential units, also undermining growth and local decision making.
The study features a number of innovative case studies as to how boroughs are supporting their local high streets. For example:

 -          The London Borough of Harrow’s Inward Investment Strategy team has worked with banks and property agents to develop investment guides to its local district centres, highlighting local demographics and available properties. The average vacancy rate for retail frontages in town centres across the borough has fallen for the second year running from a high of 7.5 per cent in 2009/10 to 6.5 per cent in 2011/12.
-          The London Borough of Sutton developed a ‘meanwhile lease’ for previously vacant units. This provides an industry standard legal instrument to minimise administrative and legal costs for both landlords and tenants and to enable temporary occupation to take place without the need for lengthy legal procedures, encouraging new enterprises and bringing innovation and creativity back to the high street.

Dianna Neal added: 

 “Councils are already innovating, but giving boroughs additional  powers and resources would go a long way in really creating the conditions for high streets to succeed – creating much-needed jobs.”

London Councils calls for London to be treated as a'special case' on benefit reform

London Councils released a report yesterday  that tracks the impact of benefit reforms and suggests Londoners will be hardest hit by the changes.

The report indicates that up to half-a-million working age people could be touched in some way when the changes take effect this year. It estimates that 27,000 households in London will be affected by the benefit cap alone, due to be piloted in four boroughs from April.

An additional 456,000 Londoners will pay more council tax as a result of council tax benefit payments moving to council control, with reduced funding. And up to 80,000 homes could be adversely affected by the so-called ‘bedroom tax’ designed to deal with under occupancy in social housing.

Mayor Sir Steve Bullock, London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing, said:

While we recognise the need for reform, councils across London have concerns about the speed this is being implemented and the effect on families of so many changes taking place at once. I want to see London treated as a special case as the process moves forward.

For some ordinary families with two children looking for work their benefit could drop £183.00 per week, while an identical family unit in Manchester would be unaffected.

London Councils supports a fairer, more accountable system of welfare that encourages work. But since changes to housing benefits in April 2011 the number of households claiming housing benefit for private rented housing in London rose by over 32,000. Rents went up by nine per cent for the most basic housing in that period and this is increasingly a London issue.

The report, Tracking Welfare Reform, is available on the London Councils website LINK  along with a wide range of research and background materials.

London Councils act to improve HIV prevention services

Source: Health Protection Agency

 Press release from London Councils

Leaders of London’s councils yesterday agreed to take decisive action together to improve HIV prevention services in the capital.

As they prepare to take on new public health responsibilities from 1 April, London boroughs have recognised that the HIV prevention activity they are inheriting is not meeting the needs of Londoners.  They have today initiated joint work to improve future commissioning of such services.

In the meantime, Leaders have agreed that some of the contracts from the current Pan London HIV Prevention Programme due to terminate on 31 March should be extended subject to more robust programme management – initially for six months and, subject to performance, potentially a further six months to ensure provision continues.  Final details will be resolved in the next few weeks.

London Councils Executive Member for Health, Councillor Teresa O’Neill, said:

A new approach to HIV prevention is needed to make sure that Londoners are educated about HIV before it is too late.  An estimated 50 per cent of Londoners with HIV are diagnosed at a point where their immune system is damaged and treatment is needed.

Frankly, Londoners have not been well served by the approach to HIV prevention in the capital in recent years.  The transfer of responsibilities around HIV prevention to local authorities gives us an opportunity to look at the way services have been provided in the past and change them so they are more effective, better value for money and targeted in the right way.

Nearly half of people with HIV in the UK live in London and more than a third of new diagnoses take place in the capital.  Terrence Higgins Trust, the charity which campaigns on issues around HIV and AIDS, points to an over-use of specialist clinics and an under-developed approach to community-based testing, care and support. Directors of Public Health will lead joint work, involving stakeholders and experts, to develop a robust needs assessment to inform future commissioning of HIV prevention services.  This will also form the basis for decisions on the whether boroughs want to join together to commissioning some of these services on a pan-London basis in future

Vulnerable to get help to find cheaper fuel tariffs

From London Councils
 

Vulnerable residents in up to 1.75million homes across London will be offered assistance by their local council to get a better energy deal and save money.  

The pioneering scheme involving 17 boroughs, including Brent,  and London Councils, the organisation which represents the capital’s local authorities, was given £686,655 by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) from its Cheaper Energy Together fund.

The initiative will help the capital’s most vulnerable residents by getting them a cheaper tariff for their gas and electricity bills.

Each borough plan to use their equal share of the funding to work with residents who could benefit most from switching their energy tariff and advise them what their options are. It is estimated that 325,000 homes in the 17 boroughs are in fuel poverty which means more than 10 per cent of income is spent on electricity and gas.

The aim of the project is to sign up as many Londoners as possible, especially those who struggle the most to keep warm, and collectively negotiate a better deal with the gas and electricity companies on their behalf.

Chair of London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee, Councillor Catherine West said: “People who most need to keep warm to stay healthy are the least likely to make sure they are on the best energy deal. Some of the most vulnerable Londoners will not turn the heating on because they do not want to risk running up a large bill.

“This cross borough scheme will make a real difference this winter by advising residents about their options and helping them to switch to cheaper gas and electricity tariffs or suppliers.”

Kingston Council is the lead borough for the scheme. Council leader, Councillor Derek Osbourne said: “With energy bills soaring, we must help Londoners get cheaper energy deals and improve their home energy efficiency. Councils across the capital will do all that they can to help people, particularly the vulnerable and those on low incomes, keep warm at home.

“Switching collectively to one domestic energy provider to get better energy deals can benefit us all as residents.”

More funding needed to pay London nursery workers a proper wage

 The following statement has been released by London Councils, the body representing 33 local authorities in London:

Pressures on London’s childcare system mean that almost 25,000 extra nursery places are necessary to meet a headline pledge by the Deputy Prime Minister, new research shows.

London Councils, the body which represents the capital’s 33 local authorities, commissioned Daycare Trust, a national charity which campaigns for affordable childcare, to look at how to make the entitlement for free part-time early years education for the poorest 20 per cent of two-year olds work in the capital.

The research reveals that a minimum of 24,100 new places are needed to meet the pledge. This will rise further to 31,700 places by September 2014.

Factors adversely affecting the capital, including higher levels of poverty, rising birth rates, migration and higher staff and property costs, mean that the costs of delivering the scheme will be significantly higher than elsewhere in the UK.

To meet this challenge, the report outlines how a number of boroughs are taking innovative approaches to deliver the offer. This includes augmenting early years education with home learning and parental support. This eases pressure on childcare providers and provides targeted and integrated support to deprived families. 

The report makes a number of recommendations to government about how best to make the programme work. As well as supporting combining early years education with targeted parental support, the government should provide sufficient funding to London Boroughs to allow providers to be paid £8 per hour. Based on government allocations, providers will receive a significantly lower average of £5.71 per hour if all revenue funding goes to providers.
Mayor Jules Pipe, Chair of London Councils, said:

“Today’s research shows that councils are thinking innovatively about how to create the places needed to deliver this new entitlement. However, London has more births, more poverty and more expensive childcare costs than elsewhere in the UK. The government needs to take this into account.”
Anand Shukla, Chief Executive of Daycare Trust, said:

“This policy has the potential to boost the life chances of the most deprived children in London but finding an additional 25,000 early education places for two year olds is proving a huge challenge for local authorities. A shortfall in day-to-day funding, for providers and for local authorities, risks compromising this ambitious policy. A small amount of extra funding would get the buy-in of providers and the essential local authority infrastructure needed to make this scheme a success.”

Evening Standard report on hungry children reinforces need for free school meals for all

Following on from my posting earlier this month accusing the Coalition of knowingly increasing child poverty LINK and reporting being accosted by a hungry child in a local school. the Evening Standard has published this story: LINK:

Thousands of London children are going to school hungry because their parents are too poor to afford breakfast.

A harrowing investigation reveals today that scores of children have even passed out in class due to lack of food.

Three quarters of teachers interviewed by the London Assembly in a snapshot survey said they had personally taken action to help hungry children. Of those who said they had “taken action” to feed pupils, 60 per cent said they provided food at their own expense.

Almost 20 per cent of those interviewed who regularly gave food to hungry children did so up to four times a month.

Fiona Twycross, who is leading the study, said:

It’s heart-breaking to think that children are going to school hungry. Some kids have told us there’s no food in the cupboard at home at all. The problem might be even more widespread than we think. There are probably thousands going hungry.

You can’t see a hungry child, you just see a child who is listless or a bit ratty and lacking concentration, so unless a teacher spots it and asks the right questions we just don’t know.

Thank goodness for caring teachers who pay for food for hungry pupils out of their own pockets – although it is scandalous that they have to in this day and age.  What worries me even more is what is happening during the school holidays when this extra help isn’t available.

The Assembly member added:

We’ve heard really devastating stories about pupils passing out. It’s a dramatic illustration of the problem and hopefully not very widespread but it does happen. Even if it’s just one child going hungry and we don’t do anything about it that’s a scandal.

More than 95 per cent of teachers interviewed said there were always a few pupils in their class were starting the day on an empty stomach.

Almost 20 per cent said as many as 15 pupils went without breakfast.

Half of the respondents from primary and secondary schools across the capital said the children went without because their parents could not afford it.

And almost all of the teachers interviewed - 97 per cent - said hunger impacted negatively on their pupils’ concentration in lessons.

The Assembly’s health committee, which publishes its full report in March, spoke to 164 head teachers and other staff across 21 different boroughs - including Lewisham, Lambeth and Tower Hamlets - to establish the scale and impact of hunger.

There are just over 2,000 primary and secondary schools in London educating around 1.25 million pupils so the scale of the problem is likely to be more widespread.

The study found there was a growing demand for food banks, breakfast clubs and free school meals as the economic downturn takes effect.

Investigators have uncovered harrowing tales. One teacher came across a child standing outside a cookery class sniffing the air as cakes were baked inside.

She described the scene as “like something out of a Dickens story” as the child had not eaten breakfast or lunch because he couldn’t afford the food.

It would be good if the Evening Standard took up the Green Party policy of free school meals for all children. It would end the bureaucracy  associated with applying for free school meals and ensure that, at least during term time, all children got a decent hot meal, impacting on health, behaviour and educational achievement. Many parents find applying for free school meals difficult and there are also families who do not qualify as their immigration status means they have 'no recourse to public funds'.

London Councils laments but where's the fightback?

Anti-cuts campaigners in London have been urging councils to get together with their communities to mount a challenge to the cuts imposed by the Coalition.  Most now admit that the cuts are doing real damage to and hitting the most vulnerable.  London Councils, the body representing boroughs across London,  could be the vehicle for a coordinated campaign but have been reduced to lamenting the impact while local councils quietly carry on carrying out the Coalition's dirty work for them.

If London took the lead this could be followed by other local authorities and the beginning of a national movement.

London Councils issued the following statement after the Autumn Statement:

On the basis of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement, funding for local government is expected to fall by a further 2% in 2014/15 beyond the funding reductions already expected. 

Mayor Jules Pipe, Chair of London Councils says:

 ‘The capital needs 90,000 more school places for the start of the 2015 school term and the city’s housing crisis has been brought into sharp relief by the Government’s changes to the benefits regime.

‘This means additional financial pressure on London councils as they seek to ensure a good school for all London’s children and decent homes for Londoners.

‘In 2010 the Government announced a cut of 28% to local government grant. Yet the Government continues to cut the amount of funding available to local government.

‘London’s councils have been at the forefront of delivering efficiency savings while attempting to improve and protect local services.

‘The Government needs to be aware that with increasing levels of demand this level of cuts is unsustainable and presents a significant level of risk to delivering those services vital to ensuring that London is a world class competitive city. The Government needs to realise that if London doesn't work, the country doesn't work."