'You can tackle unemployment and create jobs whilst tackling climate change at the same time' - opportunities in Brent

 New research shows that over 1,492 new jobs could be created in Brent Central, 1,401 in Brent North and 1,285  in Hampstead and Kilburn across green infrastructure and care work in the next two years/ten years. 

 

The data, compiled by Green New Deal UK, shows that  Brent Central is likely to suffer over  2,538) permanent job losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Brent North 1,607 and Hampstead and Kilburn 1,738 losses which could be replaced partly by jobs in new and existing industries.

 

The data includes jobs in sectors like solar energy, offshore wind, social care and energy efficiency - all of which are essential to the UK meeting its national and international climate targets. 

 

Such jobs are essential if local councils are to meet their Climate Emergency targets and also to cope with the rising demand for adult social care.

 

Previous research from Green New Deal UK found that 1.2m green jobs could be created throughout Britain in the next two years at a cost of around £68bn - far less than the £100bn infrastructure investment commitment made last year. 

 

This news comes at the same time that the Government has just cut air passenger duty on domestic flights, frozen fuel duty, invested £27 billion in a roads programme, tried to open a new coal mine and cut £1.5 billion from the flagship home energy efficiency programme. 

 

Paul Atkin local organiser, said:

 

Our research shows that you can tackle unemployment and create jobs whilst tackling climate change at the same time. 

 

We know that we can’t afford not to do this. There’s an unemployment crisis and a climate crisis and a Green New Deal can create thousands of good green jobs right here in Brent.  We all know that climate change is going to have a huge impact everywhere and we can’t let people just fall by the wayside.

 

The Government could invest in these green jobs right now to boost our economic recovery but they are refusing to. If you compare what we are spending to France and Germany and the US we are falling behind what is really needed to tackle unemployment and the recession, let alone sort out climate change.

 

Brent Cabinet discusses vital report on implementing plans to tackle Black inequality in Brent

At 10am today the Brent Cabinet has a very important item on the Brent Black Community Action Plan.  It constitutes 10 detailed work streams on all aspect of the Council's work: 

1.    Early intervention: children, young people and families 
2.   Enabling and strengthening community leadership through capacity building  
3.   Developing community spaces – run and managed by local communities 
4.   Supporting the black community and voluntary sector - grant funding and procurement 
5.   Support for employment and enterprise 
6.   Accountability and engagement 
7.   Internal review of processes within the Council  
8.   Homes and homelessness 
9.   Tackling health inequalitieS
10. Embedding equality and diversity within the council workforce.

 Unfortunately there is a possibility that most publicity will be given to a parallel plan to review the names of  places in Brent associated with people involved in the slave trade, including Gladstone Park.  Although symbolically important and perhaps an 'easy win' the resulting furore may drown out the vital and more difficult work involved in tackling current inequalities in education, work, health and housing to name just some of the work streams.  As a veteran of the anti-racist campaigns in education in the 1970s I remember how the work we were undertaking in schools was derailed by rows about whether 'Baa, baa black sheep' should be banned. Slave trade names are important but have to be kept in perspective.

As an example of the detailed work this is Workstream 1 - Early Intervention: children, young people and families:

1.Working with schools to influence school curricula to:

·      support young black boys with developing self-esteem, self-worth and confidence in the classroom, and through coaching and mentoring in schools

·      ensure positive Black History is being taught.

School Effectiveness officers will continue to work with schools to encourage the teaching of black history. Good practice examples in Brent include schools, which have been awarded the United Nations ‘Rights Respecting Schools Award’, reducing inequality and promoting inclusive societies.

Officers will ensure schools maintain a focus on the progress of priority groups & will continue to support the ‘Raising Achievement of boys of Black Caribbean heritage’ project, building on the success in improving outcomes in Year 1/2 of the project.

2.Recruitment drive for black school governors. This includes encouraging schools and Governor training to include unconscious bias and anti-racism training. Recruitment processes for school governors are ongoing. A recent focused campaign resulted in 25% of recruited governors identifying as being Black/Black British. The governor training offer will be developed to include unconscious bias and anti-racism training.

3.Creating an assured way of life for young black people by enabling them to fulfil their ambitions and aspirations relating to education and work through:

• enabling young people to explore and express their aspirations, which will include making them aware of opportunities available to them. This could also include confidence-building and making them feel ‘accepted’ and that
• they do not have to work twice as hard as their non-black peers to achieve the same levels of positive outcomes for themselves
• supporting parents with their own aspirations and to understand the aspirations of their families and children, and how they can enable their children to thrive
• institutions, including FE colleges, reviewing their support to ensure it is enabling young black people to discover and achieve their aspirations and removing structural racism and unconscious bias and barriers.

Looking at the pinch points in a young person’s life (birth, starting school, transitioning from primary to secondary school, selecting GCSE subjects and beyond) we need to look at ensuring:

•  that the institutions and individuals who are influencers in a young person’s life at various stages possess the cultural competence to understand and respond to the context, pressures and barriers young black people can encounter at every critical stage in their lives. Training will be essential.
• young people are enabled and given the ability to prepare for and handle situations. This includes developing personal resilience skills and creating spaces to have difficult conversations, possibly in school. These conversations could be trauma felt or experienced, directly or indirectly
• that institutions deploy trauma training for professionals working with young people to support them with trauma and other issues faced
• space and opportunity for young people to act as leaders and influencers
• opportunities for young people to learn about black history which can enable self-worth and aspirations to grow
• opportunities to celebrate achievements, for example, through an annual Youth Pride of Brent Awards evening hosted by the Council.

Actions in this section will align with actions in work stream 5 regarding support for employment and enterprise. Parents will be supported to access early years entitlements and the 30 hours free childcare offer through the Progress for All project.

Family Wellbeing Centres will provide parents and carers of 0-18 year olds with access to support services and programmes to develop their confidence and life skills.

Trauma-informed practice training will continue to be provided for professionals working with young people. Schools and colleges will be supported to access training in areas of cultural competence, unconscious bias and anti-racism.

Working with YBF and the Beckmead Trust, integrated youth activities will be provided around the new Alternative Provision school at the Roundwood Centre from January 2021. Youth engagement through a series of podcasts exploring issues and concerns for young people.

With The Beat London, the council recently commissioned a special 

• ‘Time to Talk Covid-19’, phone-in to discuss why the BAME community is disproportionately affected by Covid-19
•  Brent Youth Parliament gives young people who may feel marginalised the opportunity to have a voice.

Alll the work streams can be accessed by following these LINKS

Young black males event to help them connect with Brent's best jobs and training opportunities

Brent has a high number of exclusions from school that disporportionately affect black boys as well as high future unemployment rates in this group.

Press release from Brent Council

Young black males are being invited to attend ‘Moving on Up’ at the Brent Civic Centre later this month in a bid to help them connect to some of the borough’s best jobs and training opportunities.
One of the council’s key aims is to ensure everyone has the opportunity to succeed by reaching their full potential at school and beyond and this year’s event builds on last year’s success.

Research shows boys of Black Caribbean heritage historically under-perform at school compared to their peers, and fare less well than other groups in the labour market - but the good news is that gap is closing.

Councillor Amer Agha, Brent Council’s Cabinet Member for Schools, Employment and Skills, said:

 “We have done a great deal to address this issue and we are now seeing some positive results and so we are delighted to be supporting this important annual event once again.

 “We’re hoping that many young people between the ages of 16 and 25 years-old take up the opportunity to access some great careers advice, plus training and job opportunities.

 “This year we’re lucky enough to have once again attracted some great inspirational speakers who do a great job in connecting to the audience.

 “Brent Council is committed to making sure that everybody in Brent has access to better jobs and training.”

 Inspirational speakers, Rants ‘n’ Bants and Andrew ‘The Investigator’ Muhammed, will encourage attendees to ‘reach for their dreams’ along with discussions and workshops around:

• Negative stereotypes of young black men which create obstacles preventing them from competing fairly for good jobs;
• The importance of role models and mentors in helping young people succeed;
• Improving the employment opportunities for young black men in finance, technology and digital and construction industries; and
• Setting out how local employers and the council can help them succeed.

The first 50 young people to arrive will receive a £20 voucher for London Designer Outlet. Lunch will also be provided.

 Friday, 20 March 2020, 11am-2pm, Brent Civic Centre

 To book free tickets go to: https://movingonupengagementevent.eventbrite.co.uk

Brent faces up to the challenge to plan for the next 20 years - details of report going to Full Council on November 25th

Brent Council, with partners, has faced up to the formidable challenge of devising an 'Inclusive Growth Strategy' for the next 20 years.

The report on the Strategy which is to be discussed at Full Council on November 25th  states:

The Inclusive Growth Strategy (IGS) is a long term strategy that identifies choices available to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of growth over the next 20 years. Broader in scope than a Regeneration Strategy, the IGS is supported by a detailed evidence base drawn up in-house by officers across all the council service areas, with early support provided by the LSE Cities programme. The IGS builds on the medium term Borough Plan and takes a longer term scan of the horizon of different futures. Headline growth trends and impacts considered in the IGS include: 

Brent’s population projected to grow 17% and reach 400,000 people by 2040

Brent’s population over 80 years old projected to double by 2040

Automation placing a third of jobs in Brent at higher risk

Employment growth in creative and circular economies 

Rise of older workers driving demand for retraining and flexible employment 

Increasing housing unaffordability, as house prices outstrip wage growth 

Private renters increasing to be 40% of London’s households by 2025 

Growing water demand and widening deficit versus available water supply

Sewer capacity at critical levels by 2050 in north and west parts of Brent 

Transformation of Brent’s energy mix to reach zero carbon by 2050 – requiring fossil fuel use reduction of 80% and increased renewable energy use of 500% 

Ageing population, obesity levels and increased risks for black and minority ethnic groups, driving even higher levels of diabetes in Brent’s population 

Continued decline in traditional retail and greater high street diversification

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The full report with an attached Action Plan is a hefty 73 pages and embedded below for convenience. Click bottom right square for full page view.

Have your say on Brent's new Local Plan

Readers may well be cynical about another consultation from Brent Council when 'consultation' has often meant commenting on what has already been decided, the Council ignoring widespread local opposition to planning applications, and London and Brent planning guidelines ignored for spurious reasons.

However, for those who hold out some hope for local demoracy and planning for people and not for profit, here are the details:

The council has started work on a new Local Plan which will shape how the borough is developed in the future. There are key challenges for the Plan to address including:

• How do we ensure there is enough housing to meet everyone’s needs?
• How do we create employment opportunities and promote economic growth?
• What infrastructure and community facilities do we need to support new?
• What is the future role of our town centres?
• How do we create places that promote health and well-being?
• How do we ensure development is sustainable, high quality and protects the environment?

Why get involved?

Have your say on the issues that affect how you live, work and socialise in Brent.

Issues and Options Consultation

From August to December 2017 we undertook engagement events.  These sought to capture the views of a variety of people and organisations that have an interest in Brent’s future development. The events and a summary of responses are set out in the Brent Local Plan Consultation Summary document

We are now consulting on an ‘Issues and Options’ document.  This sets out more detail on the key challenges set out above and how we might address them.  It asks a number of questions.  The consultation period is from 8 February to 22 March 2018. 

• Brent Local Plan Issues and Options Document (.pdf, 10.75MB)
• Brent Local Plan Integrated Impact Assessment (.pdf, 4.59MB)
• Brent Local Plan Consultation Summary Document  (.pdf, 7.78MB)

Take the Commonplace Survey on specific places in the borough

Take the Smart Survey on issues and options

To respond to the consultation we would prefer if you answered an on-line version of the questions.  This will make it easier for us to collect and analyse responses, saving time and allowing us to take forward the Plan quicker. Alternatively, you can respond by e-mail, or by post.
Email: planningstrategy@brent.gov.uk

Post: Paul Lewin, Team Leader Planning Policy, Brent Council, Engineers’ Way, Wembley, HA9 0FJ
If not completing the consultation questionnaire, please make it very clear which part(s) of the document you are commenting on, ideally referencing by paragraph and question number.

If you require any assistance or want to get in contact about the consultation then please send an e-mail to planningstrategy@brent.gov.uk or via Twitter @Brent_Council using #shapebrent.

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THE RIGHTS OF EU NATIONALS IN THE UK - FACT SHEET HERE

With EU nationals' rights considered a legitimate bargaining chip by the Government in the Brexit negotiations, JeanLamber MEP  and other Greens are showing we are firmly on the side of EU nationals and will stand up for their rights and for freedom of movement.

Written with a barrister, the factsheet contains important information about existing rights (see below)

Please note that this factsheet is designed to provide information only. The law may have changed since this was produced in November 2016 and you should always seek up-to-date legal advice. The author and publisher cannot accept responsibility for any reliance placed on the information contained in this factsheet.

Click on bottom right corner for full view

Remain for change: Building European solidarity for a democratic alternative - June 15th

I, like I am sure many readers, have felt manipulated by the EU Referendum debate: manipulated into taking sides into what is basically a dispute within the Conservative Party (and a leadership contest), and within British neoliberalism.  The manipulation of the media by the two main camps has meant that the left alternatives for Remain and for Exit have been scarcely heard. In the process the debate has licensed the expression of openly racist views seldom heard since the 60s and 70s - albeit directed against Eastern Europeans rather than East African Asians or people from the Caribbean.

Economists for Rational Economic Policies sum up the problem in the introduction to their new report due to be discussed at a launch on June 15th.   I think the report makes an important contribution to the debate so have posted it at the end of the article.

The economic arguments over the UK’s EU Referendum have generally followed the Conservative government’s own philosophical lines of deregulation and freedom for globalised finance, in which the only true imperatives are the removal of all barriers to trade and capital flows, and the weakening of social and employment protection. This has been the main thrust of the economic arguments put forward by the Conservative “Remain” campaign, in particular the Treasury’s two reports on the long-term and immediate impacts of Brexit

Since much of the leadership of the “Leave” campaign shares the same economic philosophy, but wishes to deregulate still further (save on the issue of immigration), the choice often resembles that between tweedledum and tweedledee. In consequence, many who believe in a more managed economy which looks after the interests of working people and offers decent social protection, and who instinctively consider themselves to be European and internationalist, have felt excluded from the debate.

And alas, the European Union itself has in recent years adopted disastrous economic policies, in particular in relation to the single currency and Eurozone, which have severely damaged working people across much of the continent. Unemployment in the Eurozone has been above 10% since mid-2009, save for one solitary month. Worse, these policies are legally embedded in the EU’s Treaties, making democratic choice for change extremely difficult.

So the natural supporters of the European Union from a politically progressive perspective find themselves faced with a difficult dilemma, notably in relation to economic policy.

Economists for Rational Economic Policies (EREP) has therefore put together this series of articles which, in different ways and from differing perspectives, unite in arguing that for the UK to vote to leave the EU would be a serious mistake – both in economic and political terms. It would tend strengthen right-wing forces both in the UK and across Europe, and weaken the rights of working people. It risks a fragmentation of Europe along nationalist grounds which could even ultimately threaten the peaceful cooperation we have enjoyed across most of our continent for 70 years.

We need a strong EU for the future on a wide range of issues – not least climate change. But we also need to work in solidarity with all those across Europe who can see that Europe has to change the basis of its economic ideology and strategy if it is to fulfil its Treaty commitment to the peoples of Europe to work for “full employment and social progress.. a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment”.

I have posted the full report below:

The free launch event takes place at the University of Greenwich on June 15th. Follow this LINK for speaker details and to book your free tickets.

No confirmation yet that controversial senior officer is to leave Brent Council

I put in a request to Brent Council Press Office earlier today to ask them to confirm or deny rumours, from three different sources, that a controversial senior officer is to leave the Council's employment.

No response had been received by the end of the working day.

Jobs for Chalkhill and Metropolitan Housing residents

Chalkhill Jobs is run by Olmec's Solid Foundations project in Brent and funded by Well London and Metropolitan Housing. Our aim is to find sustainable employment for Metropolitan Housing residents living in North West London and for residents of the Chalkhill Estate in Wembley Park.

We provide employment support via appointment and through the Job Seeking Support Service which runs from the Chalkhill Community Centre (near Asda) computer room during the following times:

Mon: 10 – 12
Thu: 10 – 12

If you are a Chalkhill or Metropolitan resident drop in for expert assistance with CV Writing, interview advice, application forms, and job search, or simply to ask for the most up to date list of jobs we're currently recruiting for.

The computer room is also open on a Tuesday between 10am and 4pm for residents to use the facilities for job, education, or house swap purposes.

If you would like us to consider your CV for our live vacancies or want to make an appointment for specific advice please email katie.gerrard@olmec-ec.org.uk

LINK to current vacancies

Ex Brent Council manager slams decision to appeal Employment Tribunal Judgment and failure to order independent investigation

Christine Collins, who used to be Community Engagement Manager at Brent Council, took to a Soapbox at Wembley Connects tonight to lambast the Council's decision to appeal over the recent Employment Tribunal case and its failure to appoint an independent investigator to review the workings of the Human Resources Department.

Collins told the audience that they may recognise her (she used to be the officer facilitating such events) but that she was now speaking in a personal capacity.

She said that she wanted to talk about the Employment Tribunal findings in a case against the Council which found that:

• a black staff member was directly discriminated against on the protected characteristics of race
• the claimant suffered victimisation
• the claimant was constructively dismissed

Christine Collins said that she had read the full findings and the picture painted of employment at Brent Council over the last couple of years was 'horribly familiar'.

She explained that in the summer she was proud to stand side by side with Brent councillors in Cricklewood to stop a group of racists and fascists from ;marching through our streets to divide our community.'

'Imagine my disappointment,' she went on, ' to learn how these same councillors have reacted to the Employment Tribunal findings.'

Collins said that she had expected a council committed to fighting racism and supporting diversity in its employment practices, to be horrified by the findings, sympathetic to the member of staff who was treated so appallingly and anxious to ensure that the climate  of fear and bullying was fully and independently investigated.

Instead the council had decided to appeal the decision which would put the staff member through further stress and anxiety. In addition they had decided to appoint 'one of their own to investigate.'

Pausing to look up from her speech and addressing the councillors and residents assembled at  Patidar House she said:

 'I say "Shame on you Brent Council!"'

Concluding her speech Christine Collins called on Brent councillors to accept the Tribunal findings and have a totally independent review of the conduct of Human Resources in Brent Council:

They are happy to take on large numbers of external consultants to carry out reviews of all kinds of things - why not this? If they are so convinced there is nothing seriously wrong, what have they got to hide?

Brent Council leader Cllr Muhammed Butt arrived late to the forum but asked to comment on the Employment Tribunal by Cllr Krupa Sheth, chair of  Wembley Connects, said that the council had to  'undertake due process' in making the appeal and that 'both sides have to be heard',

Challenged by residents with cries of 'nonsense' he became increasingly angry and stumbled over his words. Directly asked if he would order an independent investigation he said 'No' and claimed that Michael Pavey's review would hear from staff and independent consultants.

The audience reacted with derision and calls of 'shame'.

Breeding at the top of Brent Council

The tangle of previous employment, business and personal relationships among the top management of Brent Council is rapidly becoming a talking point in the Civic Centre.

The case of Cara Davani, Head of Human Resources and Andy Potts, Principal Employment and Education Lawyer in the Legal and Procurement Department is particularly colourful.  Fiona Ledden heads up Legal and Procurement.

Cara Davani has recently announced that Andy Potts has become a partner in Kebulak her dog breeding business. LINK

Terrier World LINK congratulated the breeders by posting a picture of their twins who were born in June. (scxroll down)

The name of one of the twins is purely coincidental. (I hope)

Green MEP: Coalition must enact EU Green 'Youth Guarantee'

LONDON'S Green MEP Jean Lambert has called on the Government to enact a Green plan to guarantee a job, training place or education for every young person.

Speaking at a debate on the effects of austerity measures on young people tonight, she will call for a 'Youth Guarantee' - already agreed at EU level- to be implemented in the UK.

Ms Lambert, who serves as a member of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee and is a member of the cross-party Intergroup on Youth Issues, said youth unemployment threatened to ensure that any austerity-led economic recovery was short-lived.She said: 

"Tackling unemployment sustainably, and reducing the welfare and social costs associated with it, mean stepping up our efforts to tackle youth unemployment.

"Youth unemployment can result in permanent 'scars', such as increased risk of future unemployment and permanent social exclusion.

"Last year the European Commission and European Council agreed to Green proposals that all young people should be offered work or a training place after four months on the dole - and that cash from the European Social Fund should help put the guarantee in place for countries that can't afford it.*

"The 'Youth Guarantee' would build on Green proposals and successful schemes already running in Finland, Sweden and Austria - but not England."

Figures show the problem is getting worse due to the economic crises currently affecting the EU, with insecure forms of employment, short-term and part-time contracts and unpaid work placement schemes often replacing existing jobs.

Ms Lambert will make her comments at a debate examining the impacts of austerity measures on young people - particularly youth unemployment - and xenophobia.

Entitled 'Is Europe's Youth Being Thrown on the Bonfire of Austerity?', other speakers include Green Party Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Shahrar Ali, NUS Black Students Officer Aaron Kiely, London Young Labour's Philip Freeman, Nazek Ramadan of Migrant Voice and Danny McGowan of the PCS union.

Chalkhill Training and Employment Fair next week

Thursday 10^th October 12-4pm

Chalkhill Community Centre

113 Chalkhill Road, HA9 9FX (near Asda)

 Meet all these employers - bring copies of your CV!

BT (apprentices)                                                RST Security

Microsoft (work experience)                             Blue Arrow (Drivers)

Eleada Care (Healthcare)                                 Delaware (Hospitality)

Willis Property Service                                      Premier Events (Stewards)

Ernst & Young (Apprentices)                             KOTUKU (environmental)

Victoria's Care Home (care, beauty, bistro)

Holts Academy (Apprentices jewellery making)

Conway Aecom (Apprentices, highways)

Plus these training organisations, some leading to specific vacancies:

Sarina Russo                                            

Spear                                                    

Learn Direct                                             

Burleigh College

Catalyst Housing

Qstep

Free2learn  (Retail, fork lift, beauty etc)

Katherine & Kings College (Hospitality

The Teaching & Learning Group (Care Homes)

Acton Training Centre (Apprentices)

Lucas: Government must reverse brutal economic policies to avoid disastrous slump

Caroline Lucas, MP, a member of the Green New Deal Group [2], challenged conventional IEA (Institute of Economnic Affairs)  thinking on the economy today by urging the Government to increase employment to reduce the deficit - channelling investment into urgently needed green infrastructure.

At a working lunch at the IEA, Lucas said

With scant evidence of the kind of strong recovery expected after previous post-war recessions, it's time to admit that austerity in the UK has failed and that an alternative approach to reducing the deficit is needed.

SINCE 2010, CENTRAL BANKERS AND POLITICIANS HAVE PRESIDED OVER THE APPLICATION OF BRUTAL ECONOMIC POLICIES THAT HAVE IMPOVERISHED THE INNOCENT, ENRICHED GLOBAL FINANCIAL ELITES, AND EXACERBATED THE WORLDWIDE SLUMP.
 
In our 2009 report, 'The Cuts Won't Work [3]'_the Green New Deal Group set out what is now clear: that austerity and cuts in public spending during a slump - when private debt has grown to become 5 times the size of public debt - is completely delusional economics.

It is extraordinary that the government focuses so ferociously on public debt - which now stands at 70% of GDP - but turns a complete blind eye to private debt - now at 420% of GDP. A massive overhang of private bank debt goes a long way to explain why banks are not lending and why private sector investment is stalling.

The Group also predicted the 'triple crunch': a credit-fuelled financial crisis, combined with accelerating climate change and growing energy insecurity, which would "develop into a perfect storm, the like of which has not been seen since the Great Depression".

So it has come to pass - we're now in the sixth year of a widespread, international depression, with 2.5 million unemployed in the UK, many millions more under-employed, and youth unemployment at tragic levels.

The impacts of the climate crisis are becoming ever clearer, with 2012 going down in history as a year in which our weather spun out of control - and having carelessly assigned the nation's energy security to the invisible and unaccountable 'hand of the market', we face an insecure energy future with all the economic implications that brings.

A programme of productive investment financed by loans from the government's own nationalised bank - the Bank of England - is a crucial way to reduce the public debt, channelling public money into projects such as a comprehensive programme for retrofitting Britain's ancient housing stock, increasing our energy security and reducing bills.

THIS IS NOT INDISCRIMINATE SPENDING, BUT ‘TRANSITIONAL INVESTMENT’, WHERE ENERGY AND MATERIALS ARE FOCUSSED ON INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL LEAD TO A REDUCTION OF DEMAND FOR THEM IN THE FUTURE.

A public works spending would succeed where traditional quantitative easing has failed - going straight to help employment and companies, and the projects which can add to national well-being, generating income through employment.

Caroline Lucas concluded:

Keynes argued and proved that such spending would pay for itself. The Government must now rise from its deep torpor, ditch its flawed economic orthodoxy and finally begin to undertake the level of public investment needed to reverse this disastrous slump.

 [1] http://www.iea.org.uk/
[2] http://www.greennewdealgroup.org/
[3] http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/cuts-wont-work
[4] http://www.carolinelucas.com

Butt's blog bites back

Brent Council leader, Muhammed Butt's, New Year blog has on the Council website LINK has received four comments.  He wrote about the Council's strategy on improving and creating employment opportunities:

Posted 16/01/2013 10:05:11 by Shel

It's great to see that the creation of new jobs and getting people into work is a top priority. I hope Brent will be able to fund projects aimed at getting locals into work through training sessions on interview techniques, job hunting, finding relevant training programmes etc... I can-not express the great importance of such programmes. 4 years ago, I attended a 2 day workshop run by Brent Council aimed at getting the long-term unemployed into work. At that point I had been busy raising 3 children. The workshops gave me the confidence to get back into employment and my career has been moving from strength to strength. I feel indebted to the programme.

Posted 16/01/2013 08:56:47 by Jean Roberts

It is good to see that you are concentrating on jobs and growth. Education is also under attack by this government with its drive to make all schools academies or free schools through bribery with our money or by force to big chains who will ultimately run the education system for profit. Brent should be doing more to stand up for our great community schools. We now face a possible free school paid for by the DfE (our taxes) without any consultation with the community, appearing somewhere in Wembley Park. The ruling by the Information Commissioner that this process should be open and transparent will hopefully mean we will find out exactly what is happening.

Posted 15/01/2013 22:34:19 by Tracey Burke

Increasing employment opportunities is a laudable aim but I have concerns that this is being promoted as some kind of panacea for the supposed ills in society. What type of employment opportunities will these be? Will there be affordable housing and ethical private landlords to house these employees? There is a wealth of research that points to perceived ills as being in depth and entwined issues, the underlying commonalities being inequality, low pay scales, lack of affordable housing and statutory services raising the gateways for access to services. We are mindlessly accepting central government cuts that will decimate our most vulnerable members of society. What you don't clarify Mr Butt is how your cabinet will support people who work for disgustingly low pay with little or no employment rights. Nor do you address your strategy for supporting Brent residents who will never be able to work? As you are only too well aware the universal credits system that will hit us shortly is a template for increasing inequality. How are you and your cabinet planing to ensure that this government doesn't impact on the residents who vote for you and for whom you have statutory duties of care?

Posted 15/01/2013 17:41:41 by Michael Calderbank

I'm very glad to hear that jobs are such a priority. In that case, I take it, the council won't be making compulsory redundancies as a result of implementing cuts to the budget? Also, I wonder how many people who work for external contractors procured by Brent Council to provide services are paid less than the London Living Wage, and why paying a living wage isn't a precondition of the tendering process? Perhaps you can let us know on your next blog?

The Spring Election in Brent

Springtime in Brent: trees in blossom, bird song and nest building....and fly-tipping

Campaigning has brought the practical importance of Green policies into focus, rather than the personality politics encouraged by the TV debates. Although there were signs of a Lib Dem bandwagon in the on the hoof comments of voters whenI leafleted outside Wembley Park stations, it became clear when they were pressed that their comments were light-hearted and with little substance.



However, extended conversations while canvassing have underlined the key issues to do with equality, jobs, housing, education and accountability. Our policy to increase the minimum wage received strong support with people saying the present wage is just not enough to live on. One claimant, feeling depressed after making numerous job applications said our policy to allow claimants to work for more hours before benefits are cut would make a real difference to him.  He said it would ease people back into a work pattern and counter the low self-esteem caused by unemployment.


Employment and training opportunities are fundamental. Our commitment to a massive investment in the creation of green training and jobs, dwarves the promises made by the Lib Dems.  We recognise the revolution that will be needed to create a low carbon economy, providing socially useful jobs. The UK must again begin making things, rather than cashing in on what has been called casino capitalism, but the things made must actually improve people's lives.  For those already in work, but having to work long hours to the detriment of family life, our policy to move towards a 35 hour week will make a significant impact - and allow work to be shared out amongst a greater number of people.  



A period of recession always means that more people move into education and training to prepare for the upturn.  It is scandalous then that the College of North West London is closing its new Kilburn site and courses are under threat from funding cuts. The current management and funding system for further education is fundamentally flawed and we would return further education to the management of local authorities who are able to respond to the specific needs of local people.  As with academies there is a need to return education to local democratic control - we must reclaim our schools and colleges.



The extremes of riches and poverty in Brent North are very evident when leafleting. On one evening you can be squeezing through gas guzzlers parked on a paved over garden outside a 6 bedroomed house and on the next stepping over rubbish and climbing fire escapes to dilapidated flats over high road shops. Some of the pre-war blocks in Wembley, managed by private property companies, are in a very bad state of repair with rotting windows, damp walls and moth-eaten carpeting on communal staircases.



Our commitment to renewed direct investment in council and social housing, including refurbishment of empty properties, will begin to tackle the massive Brent housing waiting list.  Equally important will be taking enforcement action on private landlords who fail to keep their properties properly maintained. In addition we would make sure that affordable housing was built to a high specification rather than the tiny rooms provided in many current cost-cutting schemes.  I am particularly concerned that good quality and secure play facilities are provided in new developments.  Too often the promises made for improvements in infrastructure and community facilities by developers such as Quintain, responsible for Wembley 'City, ' are not fulfilled or are forgotten in the rush to develop. We would make sure that developers really deliver for the community.

Finally, we need to care much more for our communities. People all over the constituency are concerned about fly-tipping and the dumping of rubbish.  Some of this is clearly by individuals wanting to avoid the bulky collection charge but there is also dumping by cowboy builders and house clearers. The scene above is from St Davids Close on Chalkhill and Chalkhill also suffers from massive dumping of furniture and mattresses on the open ground near the Health Centre which has been ear-marked for a new public park and children's playspace. Residents on Birchen Grove pointed to a mountain of  dumped house clearance rubbish near the Welsh Harp carpark as merely the latest in a series of dumpings.  Greens would make clearining up the local environment and combating 'public squalour' a major priority.