Showing posts with label reform. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reform. Show all posts

Wednesday, 9 July 2025

Pro-Israel legal group threatens 'further action' in bid to stop Brent residents' project to twin with Nablus

 UK Lawyers for Israel have been advising Ian Collier of Reform and Cllr Michael Maurice  of the Brent Conservative Group on their attempts to overthrow Brent Council's democratic decision to support a twinning project with Nablus, in the West Bank - a project that was initially proposed by a diverse group of local residents. The project, Brent Nablus Twinning Association, will be at no cost to council tax payers.

In an escalation of the issue the UKLFL, a controversial organisation (see LINK) has announced that it is involving the Board of Deputies and threatens further action:

UKLFI will continue to work with local residents to urge Brent to reconsider this divisive political posturing.  If appropriate, UKLFI will take further action to force Brent to see how its actions are unlawful.  We are working with the Board of Deputies and other non-Jewish organisations to understand what is happening at a Council which seems to run without accountability and transparency nor due regard for its residents.  This is another example of British local governments prioritising antisemitic and far left ideological pursuits over the needs of local residents.

Tuesday, 8 July 2025

Tory tea and biscuits for Reform supporters ahead of Nablus petition presentation

I understand that Tory councillor Michael Maurice commandeered the Tory Group's office office at the Civic Centre yesterday evening to offer Reform's Brent West Candidate, Ian Collier and his eight or so supporters tea and biscuits ahead of the Full Council meeting. Apparently, using his electronic tag, he then escorted them from the 4th floor into the 3rd floor Council Chamber where they were able to occupy the front row of the Public Gallery before admittance of the general public who had been queueing outside.

From that position the group were able to applaud every utterance of Cllr Maurice and Ian Collier and barrack Palestine supporters. 

Ian Collier, a former Conservative supporter, describes himself on LinkedIn as a retired actuary and investment banker but claimed to be a representative of the people of Brent when he presented his petition opposing the Brent-Nablus Twinning.  In fact in the Brent West General Election he came 6th out of six candidates with 4.98% of the vote, losing his deposit.

Presenting the petition Collier spoke about 'We British people' opposing sectarianism and divisiveness but then said that the names on his petition were 'almost entirely English sounding names, Jewish sounding, Hindu, Sikh, Jain sounding - an array of the richness of Brent's ethnic groups. There is one group that is missing, there are hardly any Muslim sounding names on the petition.'

He claimed that this indicated that the twinning had caused division and then in a statement that did not appear to help heal division, and amid cries of 'lies',  'rubbish' and 'that is a slur', said it was 'being pushed that the twinning arrangement is no more than a sham to transfer funds and resources to a proscribed organisation.'

He went on to say, 'Let's assume that this is not the case' but then suggested that the setting up of a Community Interest Company as part of the project was acknowledged to be 'far less regulated than a charity.'

Before his main response, Cllr Butt, leader of the council, said on the lack of Muslim names that his and other Muslim councillors' names had been added as signatories wihout their consent. (They had been removed after the petitioners had drawn attention to the matter).

Adopting an emolliative tone he said the council had been working with the petition organisers to resolve any misunderstandings and it was important that their voices be heard. He recognised that the petitioners cared deeply about the borough and its shared values and he emphasised that Brent is 'deeply proud' to be the home of a vibrant Jewish community with roots that go back generations.

He said the borough was a place of many cultured and faiths and it was the Council's to make sure every resident feels safe and heard.

He went on, 'I'm personally aware of the anxieties raised and we are not ignoring them. I will be meeting with representatives of the Jewish community to hear their concerns and my door will be open to meet with the petitioners.' 

Cllr Butt continued, 'I'm qute clear and Cllr Afzal (supporter of the twinning) agrees with me that if the twinning is to be a success it must be about peace, cultural exchange and mutual understanding...Brent has always attempted to build bridges where we can.'

He said that the Council had been in contact with the Nablus local government following the petition, and would ensure that the concerns were addressed if they had not already been answered.  He said that utlimately the aim is to builld relationships that support, not divide, and it will be the responsibility of the Brent Nablus Twinning association to do just that. 

The issue came back with a Conservative motion about the process of approving twinning arrangements later on the agenda, although Cllr Maurice managed a contribution that got applause from the Reform supporters. Later another Tory got a dig in by quoting Cllr Nerva's words opposing the twinning to Cllr Butt.

I think Cllr Maurice's colleagues will not be entirely at ease with his flirtation with Reform and this may cause problems ahead of the 2026 local elections and some Labour councillors may feel that Cllr Butt should have objected strongly to some of Collier's more extreme comments and unevidenced allegations.

 

 PS Challenged on the checking of names on petitions Brent Council said there had been random checks but now new more robust checking procedures will be adopted,

 

 

 

Sunday, 2 June 2013

Class size facts challenge Wilshaw ahead of spending cuts

This piece from the excellent Ripped Off Briton website LINK should be of interest to parents, teachers, governors and pupils ahead of next year's expected education budget cuts:

Michael Wilshaw, the Chief Inspector of Schools, said at a seminar organised by the Reform think tank: "You can't have small classes - small groups - and a highly-paid staff." Wilshaw's assertion being that by having bigger class sizes, and therefore fewer teachers, it will be possible to offer higher pay to tempt in better teachers. In this he was parroting Reform's own agenda: 
 
"Ministers should support schools that reduce numbers of teaching assistants and allow class sizes to rise. Ministers should also make the case that having a high quality teacher is more important than smaller class size."  

So, is it actually true that our schools have small classes? We produce data below from the OECD's "Education at a glance, 2012" report, which looks at and compares the education systems in the OECD countries.

For both primary and secondary schools up to GCSE, class sizes in England are among the largest in the OECD.



The reality is we already have among the largest class sizes in the OECD. The government's agenda is simply to cut spending in the government education system.


After all, those who can pay for private education can enjoy classes of 15 to 20, as you would find in ordinary schools in Austria, Hungary, and the USA.

Wednesday, 27 March 2013

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.

Saturday, 15 December 2012

Darren Johnson renew calls for controls as rents soar

Darren Johnson Green Assembly Member for London, has renewed his call for rent controls and more security as official statistics  show that the median private rent in London rose 5% in the year to September 2012, compared to inflation (RPI) which was at 2.6%. The figures come out as the Mayor launched the consultation on his voluntary London Rental Standard. Rents rose fastest (10%) for family homes with 4 bedrooms or more. The median rent in London, at £1,150pcm, is now double the national median rent, which remains unchanged at £575/month.

Darren Johnson commented,
The Mayor has ruled out any meaningful reform to slow rent rises, preferring voluntary accreditation. That is positive but far from enough. We give our tenants some of the weakest protections in Europe, we should copy the smart rent controls and security enjoyed by tenants in countries like France and Germany where rent can’t rise faster than inflation guaranteeing fairness and predictability for tenants and landlords.

We cannot go on pricing low paid workers out of swathes of London, it’s hurting our economy and the aspirations of a priced out generation.