A rebel with a cause at Monday's Full Council debate on Proportional Representation

 

 The Liberal Democrats brought a motion to Full Council this week making the case for Proportional Representation.

Proportional Representation is Labour Party policy, but a policy that the Labour Party  leader Keir Starmer decided to ignore. A policy aimed at improving democracy, democratically decided at Labour Conference,  undemocratically dismissed!

Cllr Tom Miller made a speech saying the for the first time he was defying the Labour whip and would vote for the motion. As I understand it he was joined by Cllr Janice Long. Cllr Robert Johnson and Cllr Liz Dixon abstained.  I would point out that the public watching on the livestream cannot see the voting and numbers are not announced by the Mayor - so I am open to correction.

This is the motion:

This Council believes:

 

The next General Election is an opportunity to take our country on a different course

after years of chaotic Tory rule. This is especially true in the aftermath of the Brexit

referendum, which saw the UK crash out of the European Union, with a bad deal, that

has left us diminished, poorer and less important on the world stage. The next General

Election will be fought under the antiquated First Past the Post voting system.

First Past the Post (FPTP) originated when land-owning aristocrats dominated

parliament and voting was restricted to property-owning men. It is not fit for a ‘modern

democracy’.

 

In Europe, only the UK and authoritarian Belarus still use archaic single-round FPTP

for general elections. This produces governments that have typically not had strong

support across the country.

 

Internationally, Proportional Representation (PR) is used to elect the Parliaments of

more than 80 countries. It is a system that works and has fostered a more consensual,

pragmatic way of conducting politics and policy making.

 

PR ensures that all votes count, have equal value, and that seats won match votes

cast. Under PR, MPs and Parliaments better reflect the age, gender and protected

characteristics of both local communities and of the nation. Whilst the UK has taken

leaps forwards in terms of electing a more diverse Parliament, we are still behind many

other countries.

 

MPs better reflecting the communities they represent in turn leads to improved

decision making, wider participation and increased levels of ownership of decisions

taken. PR would also end minority rule. In 2019, 43.6% of the vote produced a

government with 56.2% of the seats and 100% of the power. Fair, proportional votes

also prevent ‘wrong winner’ elections such as occurred in 1951 and February 1974.

 

PR is now the national policy of the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Green Party,

SNP, Plaid Cymru and Women’s Equality Party along with a host of Trade Unions and

pro-democracy organisations.

 

There is a growing consensus that the UK’s voting system must change.

 

PR is already used to elect the parliaments and assemblies of Scotland, Wales and

Northern Ireland. Its use should now be extended to include Westminster and

considered at a local level too.

 

Our democracy is in a fragile state, with confidence in politics at a record low.

Changing the voting system to guarantee that every vote counts equally can help to

inspire renewed confidence in our political system, increase participation and ensure

that the electorate are able to elect the type of government that the majority of the

British people want to see.

 

This Council therefore resolves to:

1) Join 29 other local authorities across the country, of different political

persuasions, in supporting calls for a change to the UK’s voting system to

Proportional Representation.

 

2) Request that the Leader of the Council write to H.M. Government calling for a

change in our outdated electoral laws and to enable Proportional Representation

to be used for UK general elections and local Council elections.

 

3) Request that the Leader of the Council write to H.M Leader of the Opposition to

encourage that the Labour Party include changing the electoral system in their

next election manifesto.

 

Cllr Anton Georgiou

Alperton Ward

 

Well done Cllr Miller and Cllr Long. Rather sad that some of the young Turks in the Labour Group went along with opposition. 

Supporting the motion Brent Green Party said:

The Green Party of England and Wales and Brent Green Party support Proportional Representation as a fairer, more inclusive electoral system for the United Kingdom. Currently UK national and local governments are often elected by a minority of voters. This is grossly unjust, each vote must matter in all elections, and the results must reflect what the people choose.

London Mayoral Debate Wednesday April 21st 6pm

Book here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3760955803309245197

House of Commons vs Football Association February 9th k.o. 2.15pm

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has secured a debate on the governance of football governance in the House of Commons.

The debate taking place on Thursday 9 February 2017, starts at approximately 2.15pm and is on this motion:

That this House has no confidence in the ability of the Football Association (FA) to comply fully with its duties as a governing body, as the current governance structures of the FA make it impossible for the organisation to reform itself; and calls on the Government to bring forward legislative proposals to reform the governance of the FA.

The Committee published two Reports in the last Parliament calling for reform of the FA, to allow representatives of fans, women’s football, BAME groups, officials such as referees and the grassroots sport a significantly greater say in the governance of the game, and to give the Executive Directors of the FA greater weight in comparison with the representatives of the Premier and Football Leagues. However, the reforms called for by groups representing the wider game, the Committee, successive ministers for sport and recently, a number of past Chairmen and Chief Executives of the FA, have been ignored by The FA.

Last autumn, the Government published its guidance on best practice in sports governance. It is clear that The FA does not comply with this guidance now and there appears to be considerable resistance to the idea of changing its very out-of-date structure at all. The Committee is therefore preparing a draft Bill to bring the structure of The FA—which is, in legal terms, a company—into line with modern company law.

The Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Damian Collins, said:

The current Minister for Sport told the Committee that The FA had been given six months from publication of the Government’s guidance in October 2016 to demonstrate that it was willing to improve governance, otherwise public money would be withdrawn from The FA and distributed to football through other means.

We do not believe that The FA will comply voluntarily: it can survive easily without the Government’s contribution of money to grassroots sport, and there are powerful vested interests that refuse to accept the right of all those involved in football to play a role in the governance of the sport. We are therefore preparing a draft Bill to bring the structure of The FA, especially its Board and Council, more into line with modern company practice and the Government’s guidelines for sports bodies.

 

• Inquiry: The Governance of Football
• Watch Parliament TV: The Governance of Football
• Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Natalie Bennett Bites the Ballot LIVE Tonight 6.30pm

Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party, is appearing in the first of @BitetheBallot's #LeadersLive events tonight.

Natalie will be discussing Health, Education, Environment and Jobs from 6.30pm.

Watch HERE

Schools in turmoil - debate the changes on Thursday

Changes in education are coming thick and fast and it is hard to keep up, let alone work out what they mean for children, parents, teachers, headteachers and governors in our schools.

There is an urgent need for a discussion about the changes that are taking place. Brent teacher unions, supported by Brent Fightback, have organised a debate open to everyone in Brent who is concerned about the future of our education system, both nationally and locally.

Academies and free schools, changes in the curriculum, the crisis in the exam system, increases in the size of primary schools, the shortage of primary school places which will soon extend to secondary schools, the role of school governors, changes in the way schools are supported by the local authoirty and privatisation are all issues which cry out for debate.

The debate that will take place on Thursday 20th September at Copland Community School from 7-9pm.

Speakers will include

Melissa Benn, a local parent, writer and journalist who recently published 'School Wars - the battle for Britain's Education'

 Jon O'Connor, regional manager of the Cooperative College which supports schools setting up as cooperatives, cooperative federations or cooperative academies

Mary Arnold, Brent Council's lead member for Children and Families

Martin Francis, Brent Green Party spokesperson on Children and Families

Hank Roberts, ATL President and a Brent teacher

The meeting will be chaired by Gill Wood, local parent and school governor

What future for education in Brent?

Education has been very much in the news recently from parental protests over the ending of hot meals at Our Lady of Grace Junior School hitting today's front page of the Wembley and Willesden Observer, to the failure of several free schools to open leaving children adrift and Michael Gove admitting the GCSE marking was 'unfair' but doing nothing about it.

In Brent the headteacher of Newman Catholic College (formerly Cardinal Hinsley High School) has admitted there is a danger of forced academy conversion after poor results and other schools are considering academy conversion or becoming cooperative federations. In nearby Harrow the biggest free school has just opened.

Brent Council has embarked on another round of school expansions creating primaries with more than 1,000 pupils and the possibility of more 'all through' schools. Headteachers are promoting a consortium public enterprise to replace Brent Council's School Support Service.

Sarah Teather has lost her job as an education minister but Michael Gove holds on to his position and will continue his 'reforms'.

So there couldn't be a better time (for the worse possible reasons!) to hold a debate about the future of education in Brent.

I hope as many people as possible make it to the debate that has been organised for September 20th at Copland High School. Details below:

The Barnhill by-election debate

Storm clouds over Barn Hill yesterday

A week or so ago I asked my rival Labour candidate in the Barnhill by-election seven questions about his stance on a number of issues.  I have published his responses fully HERE (Under comments).  I welcome the chance to make the discussion accessible to Wembley Matters readers.

It is only fair that I put my own views on the issues forward, although as some were premised on being a member of the ruling party on the Council, they are not directly comparable.

1.This is the case with my question asking about a conflict between the interests of voters and Council policy. I can only say that as a rule Green councillors are not whipped by their Group so they have a degree of independence that does not apply to the other three parties.  There are rigorous democratic processes within the Green Party: one person one vote, twice yearly conference making policy and as in the case of deciding whether to give Ken Livingstone our second preference Mayoral vote, a full and open London Federation of Green Parties debate followed by a show of hands vote. I was attracted to the Green Party by its open democratic nature and suggest that the Brent Labour Party is much more centralist in comparison.

2. I would support a London-wide campaign of  council resistance against the cuts imposed on London boroughs by central government. The cuts are disproportionate compared with councils outside London, unfair and adversely impact on the poorest in our society. Ken Livingstone in the days of the GLC made that organisation a centre of resistance against Margaret Thatcher. He said he would lead such a campaign as London Mayor when I asked him about it at the London Federation meeting.

3. Voting against implementation of cuts if they are clearly damaging local people and the Council's capacity to offer adequate services. With more cuts in the pipeline and now expected to continue beyond 2015. If things continue as they are I  think there will come a point when it is a 'cut too far'. Brent Labour has veered between arguing that they have managed to make cuts that won't hurt people ('transformations' rather than cuts) and admitting that the cuts are bad but their hands are tied. In this way they end up doing the Coalition's dirty work for them - managing and implementing the cuts, rather than fighting them. Coupled with 2 above I would advocate Councils devising a 'needs based' budget in full detailed consultation with local people based on deciding what services are necessary to ensure the quality of life of the people of Brent. These fully costed budgets would then be the basis of the London boroughs challenging the government with Councils potentially refusing to set budgets based on inadequate funding.

4.  The Council's ignoring of the petitions signed by thousands of people on library closures and the Willesden Green Regeneration is scandalous. Worse is their refusal to table the Old Willesden Library and Willesden Bookshop petitions at any Council meeting.

5. I would like to see a thorough overhaul of the Council's consultation system which has lost the confidence of local people and is feeding a cynicism and disaffection about local politics and democratic accountability which is potentially very dangerous. I have outlined previously on this blog LINK some of the ways that consultation is misused by Brent Council.

6. I am opposed to privatisation of council run services with particular dangers posed by private companies running elder care and child protection services. Low pay, lack of training and high staff turnover would put both the elderly and vulnerable children at risk. I reject the idea that our schools need to somehow 'escape' from the 'control of the local authority'. The local authority provides support to schools and ensures that they are accountable to the electorate. Brent primary schools are now performing above the national average. We put that at risk if schools go it alone and the School Improvement Service is cut as a result.  Government funds for expanding school places should be used to build new schools of a child-friendly family size rather than expanding our present schools to accommodate more and more pupils creating impersonal institutions with inadequate play space. I am against our schools converting to academy status and believe they should remain in the democratically accountable local authority 'family of schools'. 

7. Policies -

Champion facilities for children and young people including the early completion of the much delayed Chalkhill Park and refurbishment of the BMX track and installation of a skateboarding area in St David's Close on the Chalkhill Estate.


Reopen the closed libraries and provide adequate local authority finance and professionally trained staff

Press for concerted action by the Council to improve insulation of local housing and promote energy saving measures to reduce carbon emissions and energy bills.

Support parking rules that will help the traders on Bridge Road, Grand Parade and  Preston Road attract customers and thus promote thriving small businesses and diverse high streets.

Promote partnerships between the Council, schools,  the College of North West London and developers such as Quintain to develop training, apprenticeships and jobs in the emerging environmental  technology industries.

Challenge Brent Council's damaging cuts and their sham consultations, giving  local residents a strong  independent voice in the council chamber

Protect our green spaces from development particularly Fryent Country Park and the Welsh Harp

Promote safe cycle routes, particularly from Wembley to the south of the borough which will mean finding safe ways for cyclists to cross the North Circular