Petition to change law on leafleting for small scale events

Guest blog from Manifesto Club

Under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, councils can designate areas within which people must buy a licence to hand out leaflets. Nearly a third of councils now restrict leafleting, and licences are prohibitively expensive.

These rules have been catastrophic for theatres, village halls, comedy clubs and small nightclubs, which rely on leafleting, but cannot afford such fees.

A flyer ban in Leicester Square caused the collapse of several comedy nights. One Women’s Institute was threatened with a fine for handing out leaflets about its art exhibition. Oxford student societies were asked to pay £100 a month for leafleting.

Leafleting is a key civic freedom, with a long tradition in this country, and should not be restricted without good reason. Litter can be dealt with through the proper provision of litter bins and other common-sense measures, rather than restrictions on people’s rights to use public space.

The 2005 Act already provides exemption for political and religious leafleting, or leafleting on behalf of a charity. The Government should amend the Act, to provide an additional exemption for leafleting for small-scale cultural and community events. 

Lord Clement Jones is introducing a private members' bill in early May which would exempt small-scale local events from the need to buy leafleting licenses. The Manifesto Club has a petition to support a change in the law on leafleting HERE

Call for DfE to recognise Gladstone Park's progress without forced academisation

The Parents' Action Group at Gladstone Park Primary School have issued the following encouraging statement:

Despite improving children’s performance by significantly more than the national average, Gladstone Park Primary School in Dollis Hill, North-West London was rated “inadequate” by an Ofsted inspection in November 2012. This was based on progress in Years 3 to 5 being classed as too slow.

However, results for the Autumn and Spring 2012/13 terms now show that progress across Key Stage 2 year groups (Years 3 to 6) is well above expectations.

Using the standard Average Point Score measure, Key Stage 2 children are expected to progress by 1 point per term on average in reading, writing and maths. Over the Autumn and Spring Terms, where 2 points progress for each year group would be expected, the overall average figures for Gladstone Park Primary School are:

Year Three: 2.0 points
Year Four: 2.7 points
Year Five: 3.4 points
Year Six: 4.8 points

If, as anticipated, this trend continues through the Summer Term, it will make Gladstone Park Primary School one of the best performing in the country in terms of value added (progress against expectations). This is thanks to the school’s own improvement plan, with the support of the Local Education Authority and other local community schools, and the energy and commitment of the teachers.

Yet despite these results, the Department for Education (DfE) is still trying to force Gladstone Park Primary School to become an academy, over the objections of parents, governors and staff. The DfE says that it will select an academy sponsor and impose it on the school, and only then consult with the parents over what is effectively a done deal.

However, such a change would be highly disruptive, and threatens to undo all the good work done so far.

Mike Baker who has a child in reception said:

The DfE should recognise the excellent progress made by the school under its existing governance arrangements, and end the uncertainty over its future by withdrawing the threat to forced academisation. This is in the interests of our children’s education, which should surely be everyone’s paramount concern.

Brent Labour elections update

Islington Council leader Catherine West appears to have ditched her possible bid for the Labour Brent Central nomination following reports that she is setting her sights on the Hornsey and Wood Green seat currently held by Lib Dem Lynne Featherstone.

Meanwhile senior Brent Labour sources have bigged up Regent's Park councillor Tulip Suddiq's chances in Hampstead and Kilburn although veteran left-winger Graham Durham immediately commented, 'We don't want another Blairite, we have enough in the PLP already.' The Labour Party source suggested that Sophie Linden, a former special adviser to David Blunkett had no base in Brent and that Fiona Millar had withdrawn when soundings indicated she had little support.

The only new candidate to come forward for a Council Executive position is Cllr Aslam Choudry who will fight Cllr Willehema Mitchell-Murry for Crime and Public Safety.

Other contests so far are:

Children and Families: Michael Pavey vs Mary Arnold
Environment and Neighbourhoods: Roxanne Mashari vs James Powney
Customers and Citizens: James Denselow vs Lesley Jones

There is still time for others to come forward as the hustings are not until May 9th and the Annual General Meeting, where the voting takes place, is on May 11th.

Millar's withdrawal from Hampstead and Kilburn highlights Labour's failures on education

The announcement yesterday that Labour education activist Fiona Millar has withdrawn from the contest to represent Hampstead and Kilburn is a clear sign of the frustration that many party members, teachers and parents feel about Stephen Twigg's failure as Michael Gove's shadow.


Twigg's failure to take Gove on regarding examination reform, free schools, forced academies and the curriculum have led to him being given the hashtag #silenttwigg and facebook commentary on Silent Twigg focus on his latest non-pronoucements as open goals loom before him..

Millar herself is quoted in the Standard as saying:

It is very important that Michael Gove and his policies are challenged vigorously. At the moment that is probably easier to do from outside the party machine and is what I will continue doing.

She went on to say that Labour policy on education 'is too vague at the moment'.

Fiona Millar, along with Melissa Benn and Francis Gilbert are part of the Local Schools Network LINK

Their core message is:

1. Every child has a right to go to an excellent local state school, enabling every child to achieve their full potential.
2. Every state school should have a fair admissions procedure.
3. Every local school should be responsive to their parents and pupils’ needs and wishes and be accountable to the local community.
4. That local schools in difficulties should be supported to improve, not attacked and  demoralised.