Jenny Jones gets Wembley talking about the need for change

With Jenny Jones in Wembley High Road this morning

Despite the April showers (normal seasonal weather at last!) Jenny Jones got a warm reception when she campaigned in Wembley High Road this morning. Many locals recognised her from recent TV appearances and were keen to stop and tell what they think about local and London issues.

Two parents of former pupils of mine stopped to say, 'We must get rid of this government. They have no idea of how people like us live. They are doing so much damage'.  Younger people wanted to talk about the EMA and tuition fees and the cloud hanging over their futures.

Among the reporters and cameramen there were a team from BBC London News and Jenny (and Wembley) will be on that tomorrow evening at 6pm.

Our Green mayoral candidate was particularly keen to talk about the environment and how she  wants to make London lead the word in addressing climate change, reducing waste and securing a shared future.

She promised to help Londoners in four key areas:

• Making sure food waste is collected on a weekly basis
• Working with boroughs and central government to make sure all Londoners canm recycle in the same way
• Working with central government to ban carrier bags. reduce unnecessary packaging and use more recyclable and biodegradable materials
• Rolling out the RE:NEW home insulation programme to over a million homes
• Expand the RE:FIT workplace refurbishment programme to cover small and medium sized businesses

Brent homelessness on the rise and worse to come

The extent of Brent's housing crisis is set out in stark terms in a report going before the Council Executive on April 23rd. LINK

Brent Council is expecting to receive 440 homeless applications in the final quarter of this year, the highest since 2007-8.  The rise in demand follows government changes in the Local Housing Allowance which caps the maximum payable for different sizes of accommodation.

While some landlords have accepted a decrease in rental income as a result, others have not and are have evicted tenants; withdrawing from the market or letting to other types of households.

Total current demand on the Housing Register, including homeless households in temporary accommodation and the Transfer list is just over 18.500 households.  In contrast the Council expects only 871 lettings into permanent housing tenancies (Council and Housing Association) by the end of 2011-12. At the end of February 2012 there was a total of 3,136 households in temporary accommodation and this is expected to rise. At the same time the amount of subsidy  the Council receives from central government for self-contained temporary accommodation has been capped and the Council has to meet any shortfall.  The Council has hitherto sought to provide such accommodation within the borough but to minimise costs there has been an increase in out of borough placements, particularly for larger households. Between February 2012 and March 2012 out of borough placements rose from 104 to 120 and the figure is forecast to rise significantly in the future.

As a result of these pressures Executive members are being asked to approve letting projections based on different demand groups. (Appendix D) of the document.

The report assesses the likely impact of the Overall Benefit Cap. The Department of Work and Pensions forecast that in Brent around 3,500 households would be affected. Brent initially though that larger households in the private sector would affected but having worked through some examples they think it wlil be smaller households. For example a couple with three children living in the south of Brent in a 3 bedroomed property could have a £100 weekly shortfall in their housing benefit.

The Council's revised 2011-12 budget for expenditure on temporary accommodation is £2,306,000 which includes a housing benefit subsidy budget loss of £500,000.  As a result of the pressures outlined officers are now forecasting an overspend in the current financial year of £354,000. The temporary accommodation budget for 2012-13 is £3,440,000 in order to mange cost pressures and increased demand. Although the Council expects to break even they state: 'there continue to be significant risks attached to the Council's ability to control demand led pressures..while ensuring statutory duties are met'.

Seven questions for Michael Pavey

A couple of weeks ago, one of Barnhill's Labour councillors stopped me outside the Town Hall to urge me to join the Labour Party.  I told him that I had left the Labour Party 47 years ago  and couldn't rejoin as I still had some socialist principles. He told me that I was wasting my time with the Greens and should join up so I could help change local Labour from within.

I am afraid I guffawed.

There are decent people in Brent Labour Party, and I count some of them as friends, but I don't respect the lack of democracy that is evident in their policy making and decision making. With an all powerful leader, acquiescent Executive, backbenchers limited to ward working and a browbeaten rank and file membership, the party has become separated from ordinary people.

Michael Pavey, Labour's candidate for Barnhill, dropped me a friendly note earlier this week and I am sure that he is a fine fellow: 'I think most people who have dealt with me, think I'm a pretty straight sort of guy and I am..' as Tony Blair said. Having talked to councillors from various parties I recognise that most of them started out as local community activists who wanted to see improvements in their area. Often the choice of party when they decided to stand for the Council was almost incidental, depending on who they bumped into and who asked them, but it is what happens once they are elected that concerns me.


Cllr Ann Hunter remarked recently that she put her ward before party and it is clear that she has had her disagreements with the Lib Dem leadership, and was of course a Labour councillor until she resigned from Labour over Iraq.  She said this openly while some backbench Labour councillors have let it be known privately that they are opposed to library closures and some of the other council  cuts, and there are persistent rumours that in the Executive George Crane has his reservations and Jim Moher is more aware of the contradictions than many.


Despite all this, not one Labour councillor, Executive or backbencher, has come out openly to question any of the policies apart from Cllr Claudia Hector who made her opposition to the demolition of the Old Willesden Library public in a message to the Keep Willesden Green public meeting.  Once enmeshed in the part machine the activist becomes another rubber stamping, silent and privately resentful, automaton.


So given all that I have some basic questions for Michael Pavey:


1. If he is elected, what will he do if there is a clear difference between the interests of people in Barnhill and a particular Council policy?


2. Will he urge his fellow Labour councillors to initiate a London wide Labour Council resistance against the cuts demanded by the Coalition government?


3. If this does not happen and the cuts are clearly damaging local people, at what point will he vote against implementation?


4. Does he support the way Brent Council has ignored the thousands of people opposed to its library closure programme and more recently the regeneration of Willesden Green Library?

5. What will he do to restore the credibility of Brent's consultation system, criticised by many residents, campaigning  groups and our respected local newspaper?

6. Where does he stand on privatisation of council services, council sponsorship of a free school and academy conversions?

7.. What are his policies for Brent Council action (apart from support for the 'back to work scheme'.)  Like the Labour candidate in Wembley Central his literature only refers to GLA and Government issues, and not to what Brent Council have done or will do.

I snogged Ken 20 years ago but I've gone off him now...

It's funny the comments you get when campaigning.  The one above  came from a woman at Kensal Green station last week who had been put off by the male boorishness of both Livingstone and Johnson.  We went on to sensibly discuss the merits of Jenny Jones as a possible deputy mayor to Ken Livingstone.   People vote for all sorts of reasons but the mayoral contest does seem to keep coming back to personalities rather than policies.

The candidate's personal foibles can become an issue.  My mother was keen on Ken as a 'good old Londoner' and  had  a signed photograph of him on her bookcase but she went  'off him' for six months or so when he suggested 'If it's yellow let it mellow - if it's brown flush it down' as part of a campaign to save water! 'Disgusting man!'

Speaking to people last week Jenny does seem to be making progress as people get bored and irritated by the other two and she is seen as being sensible and constructive in contrast. Her intervention on candidates' income tax has won many accolades and generally she is seen as having cut through Boris's bluster with cool facts and observations a number of times.

Jenny is expected to be in Wembley on Wednesday of next week. Do come and talk to her if you can. Full details when I have them.