Proposed Park Royal Waste Sites Under Attack

The West London Waste Authority has published the results of its consultation on the West London Waste Plan. Perhaps the most important thing to note is the low number of responses: 374. This for a Plan covering six West London boroughs including Brent with a combined  population of one and a half million. In addition a petition against Park Royal waste management sites was signed by  193 people and 2237 signed one against the Tavistock Road site in West Drayton.

Click on image to enlarge

 The main issues in the Park Royal objections were: the unfairness of locating so many sites in the area; the cumulative impact of new sites when added to existing waste and industrial facilities; proximity to housing; increased traffic; air pollution and the health impacts of pollution.

The WLWA says that these comments will be taken into consideration when considering the Park Royal sites. of the existing sites they say these are safeguarded by the London Plan for  waste management use 'but the deliverability assessment will consider whether they will be highlighted in the final Plan, as having potential for redevelopment'.

Wembley residents should note that no objections or comments were received about the site in Hannah Close, Great Central Way, Wembley, where Careys recently opened a new waste management plant. LINK This plant adds to other industrial sites on the Neasden/Wembley border which have given rise to community concerns about pollution and poor air quality. St Margaret Clitherow Primary School is just across the Metropolitan and Jubilee railway tracks from Hannah Close.

Ealing Civic Society object to expansion of  Veolia's Marsh Road, Alperton site on the grounds that the River Brent already suffers from pollution and because access is limited by congestion. The powerful Park Royal Partnership objects to the same site on the grounds of loss of employment land and existing business premises.

The consultation report includes a key submission on the thinking behind the plan:

 and another states:

All the comments will be considered during the next stage of the Plan which will be published later this year with a revised list of sites. Meanwhile the procurement process to select the company to implement the Plan through a new 25 year contract is continuing.

PDF of the full report is available HERE

Little celebration in Brent this year

"Now, is Brent's strategy as good as mine was?"

Brent Council's Executive will tomorrow decide its policy on the funding of cultural events and festivals. Officers propose that the Council should stop funding any events that are not inclusive to all of Brent's diverse communities. Although the Council claims to be positive about the borough's diversity it will cease organising events for  Chunuka, St Patrick's Day, Eid, Diwali, LGBT Month and International Women's Day and will no longer fund Navratri or the Christmas lights.

Instead it proposes to organise one 'Brent Celebrates'  Event and to continue to provide fireworks night and Holocaust Memorial Day. I am still unclear how celebrating the failure of an attempt to blow up parliament and the burning of an effigy of a Catholic conspirator is 'inclusive to all Brent residents' - but there you go...

The report says that no major events were planned this financial year as this would have pre-empted the Council's decision. It also states that there is no time to programme any large events this year such as Respect, Countryside Day and Diwali because recruitment of specialist staff was put on hold pending the outcome of the report. No preparatory was has therefore taken place with communities and schools.

Officers suggest that this be treated as a 'transitional year; with a 'new inclusive programme' next year. They do suggest there could be some small scale events this year but these would have to take place within the reduced budget available.  With an eye on potential headlines they state that the Council is not stopping the celebration of any dates or events, and would be encouraging them - but these would have to be 'community led', which presumably also means community funded.

Before we all get too dreary, Brent whips its new all-purpose white rabbit out of the conjurers hat - cheer up everyone, the Civic Centre will save us all! From the summer of 2013 the Civic Centre's halls, galleries, garden and foyer will be able to host events for 'community and income generation purposes'. So there we are, Brent Council will be competing with the Wembley Arena. James Powney is going to be Brent's very own Simon Cowell

Vodafone mast goes up despite local opposition

Regular readers will remember that residents, the council and Brent Green party opposed the erected of a Vodafone mast at the Avenue in Wembley on environmental grounds. Brent Council refused pemisision but this was over-turned on appeal.

The Council's submission said:

The siting of the development would be considered inappropriate to this existing setting. The resultant clutter of equipment would be considered to harm the visual amenity value of this site, which as described above has an open and green character. The proposed mast would be an incongruous feature in the streetscene, and would be harmful to views out of the nearby Barn Hill Conservation Area.

You can make up your own mind on its impact on the area from this photograph. Incidentally the mast is about one metre shorter than the proposed floodlights on the Preston Manor School multi-use games area,

No to Pinkham Way - Public Meeting

This public meeting is organised by Haringey, Enfield and Barnet Green Parties on Thursday July 21st 7.30pm-9pm at Hollickwood School, Sydney Road, Muswell Hill N10 2NL.

One of the largest MBT waste processing sites in Europe is being proposed to be built on land that is very close to houses and schools and is currently a mature wildlife habitat that acts as a green buffer from the North Circular. It will also increase traffic congestion in an already congested area and further pollute the already poor air quality which will affect the health of nearby residents.

Come along and have your say – and hear about the possible alternatives! 

Speakers include:  

Darren Johnson, Green Party London Assembly Member, Colin Parish, local resident and founder of the Pinkham Way Alliance and Quentin Given, Friends of the Earth.

Brent to decide on library disposal strategy before Judicial Review application heard

Brent Executive has been asked to decide on a strategy for disposal of the six libraries ear-marked for closure at their meeting on Monday, just one day before the Judicial review case is heard at the Royal Courts of Justice. The Council claims that this is justified by the need to avoid delays and maximise savings as long as the decisions are not irrevocable. However, they advise councillors to merely note the Save Preston Library campaigner's petition against any sale or disposal of that library 'that does not include a public library for the use of local citizens' because 'there are no current proposals put forward for the use of the Preston Road site upon sale or disposal'.

The report says the Council's initial approach will be to see if there is any alternative Council use for the buildings but states that to date the only alternative considered is use to satisfy the surplus demand for school places.


The Proposals
Kensal Rise and Cricklewood affected by Covenant in favour of All Souls College. The Council has asked the College to consider use by community groups. They have responded by saying that they wish to await the outcome of the Judicial Review and are not likely to want to deal directly with a community group, but might consider allowing occupation via the Council. The Council state that this would be dependent on All Souls agreement, variation of the covenant and a community group proposal of such economic, social or environmental benefit to the Council's are that it would out-weigh a decision to revert.

Neasden Library - leasehold (lease expires in September 2027, rent £55,000 per annum plus utilities and rates). The landlord was not interested in surrender of the lease in current conditions but agreed sub-letting to a third party. As there was 'no community interest' expressed during the consultation period and it doesn't appear suitable for school use it has been placed with local agents.

Preston Library freehold, the report says that it that the site appears suitable for a variety of uses ranging from educational use such as a private nursery to residential use. Note there is no mention of use for surplus school places as above. The Council propose to discuss suitable uses with the planning department and then instruct consultants to prepare a marketing brief for this site and Tokyngton Library which they think is suitable for an in-fill development of 2-4 houses.

Barham Library held in Trust by the Council along with other Barham Park buildings. The short-term proposal is for use by the adjacent children;'s centre on a care-taking basis and to undertake a feasibility study for the complex of buildings in the longer term.

Brent Civic Centre costs shrouded in secrecy

Opposition to the Civic Centre, now under construction opposite the Wembley Arena, is increasingly evident and Cllr Ann John has been forced to defend the project at the current round of area consultative forums. Residents in Kilburn have criticised the Council for being 'Wembleycentric' and neglecting land that could be redeveloped in South Kilburn while others have been frustrated when trying to pin down the actual cost of the scheme and mistrustful of assurances that the project is 'self-financing', 'cost neutral' and 'won't cost residents a penny'. They are told that the £100m centre will make annual savings of amounts ranging from £2m to £4m due efficiencies' and moving out of other Brent buildings, and pay for itself in 25 years. Transferred to personal housing this is tantamount to saying that a new house 'costs nothing' if expenditure over 25 years is equal to the amount saved from not renting.

In the light of the cuts ahead and the diminishing role of local government it is not clear how many council staff will be left in 25 years and whether the building will even last that long - think of Willesden Green library, scheduled for demolition by the Council, which was opened only 22 years ago.

My Green Party colleague, Shahrar Ali, has made a freedom of information request for financial details of the Civic Centre, which have been shrouded in secrecy.

There are however some clues in the budget document. The medium term forecast for central items included a forecast of an increase in debt charges from £23.359m in 2011/12 to £26.563 in 2012/13, £27.603 in 2013/14 and £29.104m in 2015/15 as 'a result of capital programme commitments including the civic centre'. The report states that the estimated borrowing requirement for the Civic Centre is £53.868m over the next two years.  In a key comment Clive Heaphy, Director Finance and Corporate Services states:

Clearly capital money is not free - it has a revenue impact and hence the strategy for future years will be to support programmes which are externally funded and those which deliver revenue savings which are equal to or greater than the debt costs. Conversely schemes requiring unsupported borrowing and have net debt costs must be reduced to a minimum or eliminated.

This gets to the nub of the issue of information. We need figures from the Council that will enable council taxpayers to assess whether the Civic Centre project meets this criteria.

More Brent Council cuts ahead

Click on image to enlarge

The financial difficulty facing Brent Council is starkly illustrated by this table from the Budget document going before the Executive on Monday. More light may be shed on the situation when the local Government Review is published later this month and the Council is able to forecast its revenue more accurately. However, the figures are not likely to change very significantly and further cuts are likely if the Council continues its present policy.

The situation makes it even more important to develop mass resistance to cuts and challenge the government's policy.

Clive Heaphy, Director of Finance and Corporate Services, outlines savings that can be made through the One Council Programme and tight control of expenditure elsewhere. The sharing of more services with other borough and a full review of grants to voluntary organisation are envisaged. In a key passage Heaphy refers to:

Areas no longer funded by specific grants (e.g. Sure Start) where it can be assumed that no service will be continued  by the Council unless a business case can be made to justify their continuance along with identified funding.

There will be a budget 'Away Day' shortly when councillors and officers will consider the areas for review for the 2012-13 budget (see below):

Click to enlarge

Waste Strategy Crisis: street sweeping cut as Veolia extracts more profit from Brent Council

Brent Council's negotiations with Veolia over the new waste strategy seem to be in trouble and have resulted in proposals for even more drastic reductions in street cleaning services than first expected. Officers say these have to be rushed in time for the October implementation of the new waste strategy despite negotiations with Veolia not being completed.

It is now proposed that in addition to the reduction in Zone 5 sweeping to one per week  that:

• Sweeping in industrial areas (Zone 7) reduced from 7 per week to 2
• Cease afternoon sweeping at weekends
• Reduce mechanical sweeping on weekday mornings
• Reduce weekend day service moving to a skeleton service with mobile teams
• Reduction in frequency in secondary shopping areas (Zone 2) to twice a day
• Stopping the seasonal leaf fall  service

Welcome to Brent - the Dirtier Olympic Borough

Clearly these reductions are going to make an impact on the appearance of the borough as well as making 50 street sweepers redundant. Probing a little deeper it is clear the the Council has not fared well in its negotiations with Veolia. The report to the Executive states:

In outline, it has not been possible to agree the reductions sought by the Council in respect of the waste collection arrangements partly because Veolia are seeking, through this significant change to the contract, the opportunity to try and improve profitability for the remainder of the contract which has, in their view, been eroded by a number of factors since the original start of the contract. Similarly, they are seeking to ensure through the negotiation of the changes to the street cleaning element of the contract, that they have a higher level of profitability for the remainder of the contract than they have recently been enjoying. In consequence, the reductions to the street cleaning regime recommended to meet the 2011-12 and 2012-13 budget requirements, are larger than might have been expected.

This is an understatement. The report reveals that as well as Veolia adding back into the contract indexation, costs that they claim to have been bearing in previous years, an inflation increase of 1% to which they were previously not entitle, there are additional costs of hiring vehicles rather than purchasing them (see my previous blog) and what the report calls 'other refinement by Veolia of figures'. All this added £362k to the budget gap. The report considers various ways of closing the gap but admits that if the savings are not made they will have to be found elsewhere in Environment and Neighbourhood Services. Cllr Powney will be responsible for finding these savings - or more bluntly, making these cuts. The proposals will go to Monday's Executive. The agenda and documents can be found HERE

One controversial element of the savings is Veolia's offer of  reduction in 'gate fee' for dry recyclables from £30 to £22 but this is contingent on less than 5% contamination which will be difficult to achieve with co-mingled collections.

The Brent waste contract comes up for renewal in 2014 and Veolia are also a likely bidder for the huge West London Waste Authority contract LINK The report notes that Veolia are seeking 'through the negotiation of the street cleaning element of the contract, that they have a higher level of profitability for the remainder of the contract than they have recently been enjoying'. Officers recommend that negotiations continue and are escalated to a higher level.

The budget is outlined below but other information in appendices to the report have been declared 'confidential' and not published: (click on image to enlarge)

"Let's all go down the Strand and bring your banner..." - library closures hearing next week

Campaigners' application for a judicial review of Brent Council's decision to close six of the borough's 12 libraries will be heard in the Royal Courts of Justice next week.  The hearing will take place on Tuesday 19th July and Wednesday 20th July. There is a possibility that it will spill over to the morning of Thursday 21st July.

Brent SOS Library campaigners and Brent Fightback supporters will be assembling outside the Court on Tuesday and Wednesday at 9am (the hearing is expected to start at 10.30am) and again at 4.15pm with banners and placards. Please try and get along and bring your own placards.  There should be seating in the court for between 60 and 80 people and the presence of those affected can be positive in terms of curtailing the more outrageous claims that the defendants could make in their absence.

The case is significant because it is the first legal challenge to library closures. There are almost 4000 pages of documents before the Court and over 200 pages of witness statements. In a nutshell, campaigners argue that the Council decision was flawed because it:

• started from the false premise that library closures were an inevitability (therefore closing its mind to reasonable alternatives);
• failed to assess local need at the right time, or adequately;
• failed to comply with equality legislation, and its own impact assessment policies; and
• failed to disclose its criteria, and reasons, for rejecting alternative community-based means of retaining some or all of the libraries earmarked for closure.

The Royal Courts of Justice are in the Strand and the nearest tube is Temple MAP

Francis decides to go back to the Labour Party

Francis Eniola who quit Labour to join the Tories in 2009 and subsequently lost his Welsh Harp council  seat at the local elections, has now decided to rejoin Labour because he is "ashamed" of the government and "disappointed" by them.

He told the Willesden and Brent Times

They promised to look after old people and to ensure they would care for them in their homes and now they are doing the opposite.This government does not look after the most vulnerable people especially those who are poor.

I understand that Francis is expert at doing the hokey-pokey.

Kingsbury High School Academy Bid - democracy must prevail say unions

Following the decision of Kingsbury High School governors to go ahead with an application for academy status, Hank Roberts NUT/ATL Secretary and Shane Johnschwager NASUWT Secretary,  have issued a statement to Kingsbury High staff vowing to work together so that democratic values prevail.

The Kingsbury decision follows that of Claremont High which was also criticised for failure to consult properly and ignoring the views of staff, parents and pupils as well as the more recent controversy at Holland Park where a consultation and decision took place in less than a week. If Kingsbury High became an academy it would join Ark and Claremont in the north of Brent, Crest Boys' and Girls' in the east and City Academy in the south

The unions' statement says:

·        At the Governors meeting Thursday night (14^th July) the Head concealed from Governors the fact that he had received formal notification from the Teacher Unions of a ballot for industrial action if the vote to apply went ahead.

·     In advance of the meeting he refused requests by the Local Secretaries for a meeting to seek a mutually agreeable way ahead to avoid a ballot for industrial action. Even on the day he failed to respond to repeated phonecalls.

·     The Head broke his promise to parents that he would tell them in advance of the Governors meeting whether or not he would advocate a pause in the process and a parental ballot.

·     He misled parents by saying they would be told the result of the staff ballot. They have not been told. They clearly should have been told before the vote to apply.

·     The Head advocated going ahead with no business plan having been provided, with no risk assessments having been done or provided, with no parental ballot having taken place and no proper pupil consultation.

·     The Head of the Finance Committee said that they had 'chosen to have a deficit'. This despite the Head telling parents that the deficit was due to Governors failure to 'grasp the nettle' regarding the school's financial situation.

·     The Head said that becoming an Academy, that is doing what Gove wants the school to do, would put Kingsbury in a better position to fight Gove if necessary. This despite the fact that the Secretary of State will ultimately have sole control of the school and its finances.

·     The Head misled Governors by saying that the staff's only real objections were the loss of the requirement for national pay and conditions and it being part of the privatising of state education agenda. He did not state that the prime concern of staff is the long-term harm this would do to the education of Kingsbury pupils.

·     Unions were accused of scaremongering about the potential loss of pay and conditions.

·     Statements were made about long-term financial gains to the school ('for the life of this Government') on the basis of no supporting evidence.

·      The main and longest speakers at the meeting were the Headteacher (in favour), a so-called 'neutral' advisor (clearly in favour), 'Associate members' of the Governing Body, (members of the Senior Leadership Team - in favour). All of these people are paid by the school. It is not in the spirit of good governance to have non-volunteers with such influence on such important decisions. Those who asked in advance of the meeting to speak against were told 'no'.

We believe a good Headteacher:

·     Would not ignore the views of the overwhelming majority of their staff.

·     Would have properly and democratically established parent's views (as he did teachers) before pressing ahead.

·     Would not have concealed from Governors that the school had received formal notification for a ballot for strike action if the Governors went ahead at this time.

The situation is now becoming ludicrous. How can any school be considered normal, consultative and democratic where a small group of individuals propose such significant changes, without the support of any of their stakeholders?

The literally thousands of staff, parents and pupils who ARE the school

All pretences of consultation and democracy have now been exposed as the sham they clearly always were. For the Headteacher to expect any member of staff to accept his 'guarantees' on pay and conditions when he has acted so dishonourably on this matter would be absurd.

In light of Mr Waxman's behaviour we suspect that he may also:

·        Like Claremont, seek to bring forward the date for conversion despite promises to the contrary.
·        Seek to rush and manipulate the parental ballot (if one occurs at all).

• Not have any proper and democratic consultative process with pupils

Despite this, we believe, Kingsbury WILL NOT become an Academy. It will  be too difficult to resist staff opposition, industrial action and united parental and pupil opposition.

To press ahead with all their stakeholders clearly and overwhelmingly against would turn Kingsbury into a cause celebre for all those who hold democratic values.  It would be unprecedented – not just in Brent but nationally. To risk this would be a step too far for a Head or Governor who values their reputation in the school and community.

The democratically untenable position of the Head and Governors cannot be sustained. Together we will ensure democratic values prevail.

An e-mail sent by a Kingsbury High School parent to other parents supported the teachers:

As parents we need to strongly support the staff in this, they are the ones who so ably provide our children’s education. The final step towards conversion would happen around October so we need to step up our campaign between now and then to stop this.

The governors have decided to take action that they know a majority of stakeholders are against. Please use the time now to talk to other parents before the public meeting (planned for Autumn term). We can stop the school from going down this reckless path, but to do so parents, staff, pupils and others all need to work together.

Ha

How many butterflies can we find in Brent?

The Big Butterfly Count starts this weekend and you only need to find a sunny 15 minutes to take part.Numbers of butterflies and day flying moths are a good indicator of the health of our environment and can be an early indicator of problems.

The website includes a downloadable identification chart as well as easy ways to record your observations. There is still time for schools to take part in the last week of term. The Count will finish on July 31st.

LINK

Air pollution - the stealthy killer

Keith Taylor, the Green MEP for South East England will today launch a report about air pollution and its health impacts. Each year in the UK air pollution causes 29,000 deaths and contributes to over 200,000 premature deaths, yet public awareness of this killer is very low. Keith Taylor aims to raise awareness of the issues with his new report, ‘Air Pollution: The Invisible Killer’. The report asserts that air pollution is creating an invisible public health crisis which is not being addressed by the UK government.

Dirty air has a greater health impact than many high profile public health issues, such as passive smoking and obesity, yet unlike the smog of the 1950s it is an invisible killer. Long term exposure to air pollution is associated with heart and lung disease. The report includes recent research from California which has shown that children growing up near motorways can suffer permanently reduced lung capacity. This is an extremely worrying finding which highlights the desperate need for more research into the health effects of air pollution. Government figures show that the health costs of just one pollutant, PM2.5, are already £15 billion each year.

The UK government is currently failing to implement legally binding EU levels on air quality. In 2009 the EU started legal action against the UK for breaching safe levels of pollutants, but the government has now been granted more time to meet the EU’s deadline. If the UK doesn’t comply with safe levels the government risks being fined up to £3000.

The UK government is currently preparing to report on Nitrogen Dioxide levels to the European Commission in September and has indicated that it is likely that safe levels will not be achieved in many areas. ‘Air Pollution: The Invisible Killer’ contains a map which shows that air pollution is widespread across London and South East England. Many local authorities in the region have declared that they are likely to exceed the required EU safe levels for pollutants. Keith believes that this inertia on such an important health issue is unacceptable.

Up to 70% of air pollution in urban areas is from road transport. Keith’s air pollution campaign is calling for national government to provide adequate funding to local authorities to invest in public transport, promoting walking and cycling and introduce public information systems to alert people to air pollution.

Keith said: “The right to breathe clean air is fundamental. Yet thousands of lives in the South East are being shortened because air is heavily polluted in many places, mostly by traffic. Government data shows that air pollution contributes to over 200,000 premature deaths every year in the UK. This is an invisible public health crisis which urgently needs to be tackled. ”

“This is a widespread problem which is getting worse. The UK government has recently admitted that they will not meet the required EU limits for Nitrogen Dioxide and must now explain this sorry state of affairs to the European Commission. The EU air quality standards have been put in place and agreed on by Member States, including the UK, because they set safe limits for the air we breathe. I am putting pressure on the European Commission to make sure that they do not allow the UK government to shirk its responsibility. The Commission must take urgent action to address air pollution and its harmful effects in areas where the UK is breaching, or likely to breach, EU limits.”

Kingsbury High Governors vote for academy conversion despite massive staff opposition

Kingsbury High School governors decided last night to seek academy status by 15 votes to 3 despite being given the result of the staff ballot which showed 84.5% of staff were opposed to the move.  The three unions in the school will call a public meeting about the decision in September and have already notified the school that they will be balloting for strike action.

Shedding light on MUGA proposal

 Click on image to enlarge

Plans have now been published for what appears on Brent's website as a 'hockey pitch' but according to the plans is a MUGA (multi-use games area) at Preston Manor Primary School. It is clearly an excellent resource for the children but may well encounter opposition from nearby residents.

The plans include six 14.5 metre high floodlights and a three metre high fence surrounding the pitch. The application, made by Brent Council's Major Projects and Regeneration Department, states that the hours of operation of the facility are currently unknown.

Full details available HERE

Get down to Kingsbury High School Tonight to Oppose Academy

Following on my warning in last week's Willesden and Brent Times of a last minute Summer term rush to academy status I have received the following message from a local parent:

This evening, at the Upper School Site, Princes Avenue (6th Form Building, Block D)  the Kingsbury High School governors will vote on whether to turn KHS into an academy.

Parents and public have been invited to attend as observers. Unfortunately some of us cannot attend as the meeting clashes with an important event at Oliver Goldsmith School.

Please could as many of you as possible attend this meeting so that governors can see how strongly people feel about this issue.

Staff have been balloted and the result is being kept from staff and parents until the meeting. Staff were also unhappy about the way in which the ballot was conducted and have very deep concerns. We understand that during the meeting, a pupil petition will be passed to governors along with minutes of the parents' meetings and results of the staff ballot. Plus any parent email responses to the proposal. The presence of parents at the meeting will ensure that we are fully informed about exactly what information is given to governors before they vote.

If governors vote "yes" tonight, it will almost certainly lead to divisions in the school, including possible strike action from staff. If they vote "no" or to postpone the decision, we can welcome this as an opportunity to have a more thorough consultation with parents, including a ballot.

Please do your very best to be there!

Anne Gray, Green Activist, Returns Home after Israel Incarceration

Many thanks to Haringey Greens for this blog

Veteran peace and Green party activist Anne Gray , one of twelve Britons arrested and jailed at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, Tel Aviv last Friday 8th July, was released late last night and placed on a deportation flight from Tel Aviv after spending five gruelling days of incarceration in a filthy cramped cell. Six other British activists were also aboard the flight which landed at Luton airport around midnight last night.

Ms Gray, who is well known in Haringey for her tireless community activism and campaigning as the Green Party parliamentary election candidate for Tottenham last year, had planned to stay in Palestine until July 16th, as part of an international 'Welcome to Palestine' initiative, working with Palestinian NGOs to support and improve the daily lives of local people.
Gray,
Just hours after arriving back in London, Anne Gray said:
“As soon as we said we were visiting Palestine, the airport authorities branded us, and several hundred other travellers, as troublemakers intent on demonstrating and disrupting the airport. We were given no chance of explaining who we were and the purpose of our trip.

“Our mission was entirely peaceful. We simply wanted to study and work with Palestinian NGOs, listening and observing and lending support with things like negotiating checkpoints and taking children to school through areas with hostile settlers. The organisations we were planning to visit do cultural activities like dance, theatre, and education in human rights law, drawing youth away from stone throwing into other forms of political expression.

“I’m furious at the way we have been treated. We were denied entry to Palestine for no good reason at all – it was all stereotyping, a total smear campaign by the Israeli government and media.”

Deputy Leader of the Wales Green Party, Pippa Bartolotti, is still being detained in Israel with three other women from Wales after refusing to be deported. The British consul in Tel Aviv was speaking with them in the jail when Anne Gray and others were taken to the airport yesterday.

So, at least for Anne and the majority of British activists, their ordeal is over. They have succeeded in publicising the plight of the Palestinian people and the belligerent attitude of the Israeli authorities to peaceful protests.

" Israel's contempt for human rights" - Green Party Trade Union Group:

The Green Party Trade Union Group fully supports the recent statements of Caroline Lucas , Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales (letter to William Hague), calling for the release of the international campaigners arrested and unjustly imprisoned by the Israeli government. We also want ALL these campaigners to be released and for them to be able to proceed to Palestine as they had intended, but we would like especially to send our solidarity and support to , Pippa Bartolotti, Deputy Leader of the Wales Green Party, and to Ann Gray of Haringey Green Party a supporter of GPTU and a member of Green Left.

Unjustified arrest is relatively mild by the standards of many of the actions that Israel has taken against Palestine, nonetheless it shows the contempt which the Israeli government seems to show for the human rights of Palestinians and their supporters, Pippa and Ann are quite right to take part in a protest against this and in no way deserve any unlawful punishment for doing so.

The People of Tower Hamlets Speak Out on Cuts

Choke traffic - not people, join Jenny tomorrow

The Green Party’s London Mayoral candidate, Jenny Jones is set to take part in a new campaign by UK environmental group, Climate Rush, on Wednesday July 13th which could see some central London roads being temporarily disrupted in order to highlight the severity of the capital’s air pollution problem.

Jenny will make a keynote speech ahead of the Roadblockprotest in which a group of cyclists will hit London’s streets and stage a ‘die-in’ at an unspecified location, holding the space for up to 29 minutes, symbolic of the 29,000 premature deaths attributed to poor air quality in the UK – nearly 5% of all annual UK deaths. Doctors and nurses will check the pulses of the protesters and mark the position of their bodies with chalk.

At the end of the 29 minutes the protesters aim to get up and walk away.

Jenny Jones, along with London Assembly colleague, Darren Johnson, has fought an ongoing battle with Boris Johnson to reduce London’s deadly pollution levels. 

Jenny says:

Getting clean air is rapidly emerging as the number one environmental and public health issue for Londoners. This is hardly surprising when both the government and Mayor have done so little about the pollution which is killing the equivalent of an estimated 4,300 Londoners every year.  

Young, energetic campaigners like Climate Rush will ensure that clean air is a big priority during the Mayoral elections. The real test for Mayoral candidates is whether they can agree to take real action to reduce traffic,lower fares and create a very low emission zone which only allows the cleanest of vehicles to enter central London.

Immigration Advisory Service Closure 'A tragedy"

In response to the news that the Immigration Advisory Service, one of the UK's leading asylum charities, has gone into administration with some 200 jobs at risk, Jean Lambert, London's Green MEP since 1999, has said:

"It is an absolute tragedy that the Immigration Advisory Service is to close.
 
"For almost twenty years, the IAS has provided vital free advice and representations to people faced with real immigration and asylum difficulties - people who often have had nowhere else to turn for support.

"Whilst the reasons behind the closure remain unclear, cuts to the legal aid budget are sure to have played a contributing factor - further proof that the Government's draconian spending cuts are disproportionately hitting the most vulnerable.

"With cut backs in legal aid, and increased financial pressure on local authorities and other advice agencies, the pool of experienced and knowledgeable immigration advisors is getting smaller by the day."

IAS statement HERE

Lucas presses Hague for action on Israel human rights detentions

Several British citizens, including Pippa Bartolotti, Deputy Leader of the Wales Green Party, have been detained in Israel this weekend while en route to Bethlehem for a human rights demonstration.

The group was held at Ben Gurion airport and were then transferred to Givon Prison. It remains unclear under what legislation they are being held, and whether any charges have been brought.

There are also reports that they have been denied food and water for long periods of time. The group may now be faced with deportation.

Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas has written to Foreign Secretary William Hague, saying in part:
"There does not appear to be any grounds for these citizens being detained, as traveling to the West Bank is meant to be permitted for British citizens.

"Does Israel now have a policy of seeking to prevent human rights defenders from entering the occupied territories or entering Israel?"

She encouraged Hague to "press for these British citizens to be immediately released and for moves to deport them to be called to a halt, so they can continue with their peaceful visit."

Profiteers take no prisoners

After a weekend when the inhumanity of profit hungry private companies has been exposed in all its ugliness it is amazing that the Government has published its plans to introduce that ethos into the public sector.

We have seen News International exploiting murdered children and the families of bomb victims and war casualties. British Gas has announced massive price increases despite their massive profits which will impact disproportionately on the poorest and Southern Cross has gone broke leaving thousands of the elderly in care homes feeling bewildered and insecure.

And Cameron and co want to extend privatisation  to the public services  that are depended on by the most vulnerable in our society!

When I was reporting the London Stock Exchange 40 years ago I remember how my editors were gob-smacked when I got news that Rolls Royce had gone broke. They were so disbelieving that this top British company, epitomising British industry and engineering had become bankrupt, that there was a delay before they put the news out on the wires. Of course Rolls Royce was nationalised, rescued by the state, until the profit making sections were hived off.  In more recent times the state has had to rescue the banks and step in to help casualties of exploitative insurance companies. The state of course is funded by our taxes.

Public anger at the continuing excessive bank bonuses and energy company profits is becoming more evident in my conversations with local people. What is seldom focused on is that state intervention hands over money to bolster these profits further. When Government ministers insist that winter fuel payments and other subsidies help out the vulnerable they don't add that these payments then go straight to the energy companies - public funds add to company profits.

I listened to a government minister arguing on the Today programme this morning that free schools and academies would not be allowed to make a profit. This may in theory be true (for the moment) but what those academies then do is buy in services, previously supplied by the local authority, from private companies. Academies and free schools are financed by public funds and these are handed over to the private suppliers - who are profit making. In the process the local authority, already decimated by government cuts, is further undermined.

C.Offe (Contradictions of the Welfare State 1984) argued that commodification (privatisation) of society, the post-war project of the Right,  nonetheless requires a welfare state to provide the conditions for that commodification - a safety blanket for the casualties of competition and a training programme for future worker-consumers. The contradiction that he focused on was that the welfare state is dependent on the commodity form for its financing but in order to provide the conditions for commodification the welfare state has itself to be outside it. Post war the welfare state developed an ethos and ideology outside the values of individualism and private profit that in times of crisis directly challenged those values.

The Cameron project, intensifying the process begun under Thatcher and Blair, takes this a stage further by attempting to commodify the public sector/welfare state itself and undermining its ethos of service and mutuality.  In the process it is in danger of destroying  the safety blanket. The sick, the elderly, the disabled will be 'supported' by companies employing low-skilled, low-paid, temporary labour in order to maximise profits from funding provided by state-funded 'personalised' budgets. In other words, our taxes which already fall disproportionately on the lower paid, are handed over as profits to the private sector.

In the case of Southern Cross there is a real danger that old people will die due to lack of care when myriad small companies take over the running of care homes and there are similar dangers in the employment of private companies in assessing benefit claimants.

As I talk to people about these I sense a strong frustration and feeling of powerlessness: "There is nobody defending our interest;" And they are right as far as the main political parties are concerned - they are steeped in neo-liberalism and take for granted, despite all evidence to the contrary, that the private sector is more efficient. At the same time the various bodies which are supposed to defend the interests of the people: Press Complaints Commission, energy regulators etc are shown to be powerless faced with massive multi-national companies and conglomerates.

This leaves the way clear for the Green Party to become a powerful advocate of the people. challenging the attack on public services and putting forward alternative ideas regarding fairness and mutuality.

Vital meetings this week

BRENT STOP THE WAR MEETING MONDAY 11th JULY, 7.30 p.m.
For the next Brent Stop the War meeting, we are very fortunate to have Gregg Muttit as our speaker.  He is the author of a very powerful book: Fuel on the Fire, oil and politics in occupied Iraq.  The meeting will be at the Brent Trades Hall (Apollo Club), 375 High Rd, Willesden, NW10 2JR and will start at 7.30 pm.  Or for a flyer advertising the meeting and a map to show the venue, go to our website www.brentstopwar.org.uk

BRENT FIGHTBACK PUBLIC MEETING, THURSDAY 14th JULY, 7.30 p.m.

The meeting is on Where Next For the Fight Against the ConDem Attacks? and the speaker will be Zita Holbourne who is an executive member of both the PCS union and BARAC - Black Activists Rising Against Cuts. It will be on Thursday 14th July 7.30 pm at the Learie Constantine Centre 43 - 47 Dudden Hill Lane NW10 2ET (map here: http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=522165&Y=184885&A=Y&Z=110 ).   We hope that following the successful strike rally and demonstration on June 30th many more trades unionists and activists will come along, contribute to the meeting and get involved in Brent Fightback. Everybody is welcome whether they are trade union members, service users, students, pensioners, employed or unemployed.  

Please pass this invitation on to everyone you know who is affected by the cuts and the government's attacks on pay, pensions, benefits, housing, the NHS and education.

Old St Andrew's footpath cleared

Last month I highlighted the fly-tipping at Old St Andrew's Church Yard in Kingsbury LINK. The main dumping was on the public footpath leading from the church yard to St Andrew's Road.

I recently bumped into the local street sweeper and he told me that his supervisor had asked him to clean up the path in addition to his normal work when he had time.

I was delighted today to see that most of the bulky fly-tipping had been removed, including toys that appeared to have been dumped over the fence of the nursery.  I had sent links to my posting to Streetcare and the vicar of St Andrew's and perhaps that had some impact.

There are still some discarded carrier bags and beer cans which appear to be dumped by people who use the ancient church yard for drinking sessions, but it is good to see some improvement.

Come on Rachel, Brent is right behind you!

 The BBC has succumbed to pressure and will be screening the Women's World Cup match between England and France on BBC2 at 5pm.

Local woman Rachel Yankey, who scored the second goal against Japan in England's 2-0 win, will have lots of Brent kids cheering her on. She is well known to them from her football training sessions at local schools, after school clubs, and summer training schemes.

I worked with her at Park Lane Primary School when she did after-school football training. She was always hard working, committed and totally unassuming.  She is an excellent role model for local children.

All change in the local press

A couple of weeks after reporter Tara Brady moved from the Wembley and Willesden Observer to the rival Willesden and Brent Times, Kate Ferguson  of the WBT has moved to the Hampstead and Highgate Express (the Ham and High).

I am sorry to see Kate go as she has been a committed and resourceful reporter who went well beyond the re-writing of press releases that is becoming characteristic of so many cash-starved local papers. Tara Brady is well able to take up the baton.

Meanwhile things at the WWO are less clear.  There has long been a problem of the title not living up to its name with a preponderance of Harrow news, features and letters and this seems to have worsened recently - purchasers need more than a token Brent story on the front page.  The Harrow Observer series needs to strengthen its reporting of Brent issues as well as extending its features to cover the borough if it is to win credibility.

The Harrow Times dabbled in reporting Brent issues a while ago and seemed to be trying to increase the paper's range but again this has diminished recently. This week there is only one Brent story (the teachers' strike). There is no attempt to connect up issues common to the two boroughs such as academy schools,

Something moving on Chalkhill Park?

A little over a week since Chalkhill Primary Pupil Council lobbied their ward councillors over the failure of work to start on the much needed new local park,  a bull-dozer has moved on to the site and has been levelling the mountains of top soil dumped there six weeks ago.

Is this a sign that work has finally begun? Local people are still cynical and rumours that it will be used for housing persist on the estate. We need a definitive statement from the Council about start and finish dates to allay suspicion.

Commerce, educational prospectors and political pressure groups take note

There has been a campaign in Brighton against the possibility of Varndean school becoming an academy.  The headteacher and chair of governors have now posted the following notice on the school website:

Varndean school is not about to become an Academy now or in the near future.

Over the next year, we will be sharply focussed on the needs of our students by continuing to develop our excellent classroom practice. We will be sharply focused on standing shoulder to shoulder with our secondary partners to improve learning across the city as a state funded, comprehensive and inclusive school. We will continue to keep abreast of changes in the educational landscape.

In the event that governors foresee national and local changes as having a significant impact on our ability to deliver high quality education for our students suggesting a change of status, there would be a consultative process with staff, students and parents, prospective parents and other interested parties.

In the meantime, we request that staff, students and governors, be allowed to get on with business as usual, free from some of the unpleasantness that we have experienced as a result of this political activity. Our school is run by skilled professionals, ably supported by governors and educational expertise both locally and nationally.  With regards to commerce, educational prospectors or political pressure groups:

Varndean school is not for sale.

Brent secondary schools take note.

Taxi Cards: "Don't take our freedom away"

Brent New Company TV

Libraries Judicial Review on July 19th and 20th

The date for the Judicial Review of Brent Council's decision to close six of our 12 libraries has been fixed for July 19th and 20th at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand. When times are available for the hearings I will publish them on Wembley Matters so that as many people as possible can attend to show their support.

The Brent SOS Libraries case can be read HERE
and Brent Council's case is HERE

The Brent SOS Libraries Campaign is continuing to hold events to fund-raise for their legal costs:

Wed 13 July - An Evening with the famous actress Harriet Walter and author Deborah Moggach at the North London Tavern, Kilburn 

Wed 20 July - An evening with Philip Pullman, best-selling writer of His Dark Materials - Oueen's Park Community School 

Sat 30 July - The Preston Old Skool Dance 

All details available here: http://brentlibraries.wordpress.com/events/

Brent SOS T-shirts are also available as is signed merchandise by the likes of JLS, Nick Cave and Erasure at the Kensal Rise Library Campaign Shop

The 'Power of Community' Comes to Willesden

Click on image to enlarge

Pupils press for work to start on new park

Plan for the new park (March 2011) Click on image to enlarge

Chalkhill Primary's Pupil School Council lobbied ward councillors recently when they held a walk-about on the estate.

The children presented councillors with a letter that asked when work would start on the park and when it would be finished. They stressed that local children needed a park and how awful the site looks at present. They finished by asking if the Council really did want to build the park.

Cllr Shafique Choudhary, on behalf of the three Labour councillors, promised to keep writing to the Council until something was done.

The new park will be built on the site of the old Chalkhill Health Centre between the ASDA car park and the Metropolitan railway line. Work was expected to start last Autumn but was delayed, according to the parks department, because of severe weather. A Spring start didn't take place, this time because of 'staff shortage'. Top soil was recently brought to the site, raising the hopes of local residents, but no further work has taken place.

Grabbing ears helps local children

Parachute games at last year's Festival

I spent a very pleasant day at Queensbury Eco-Cultural Festival on Sunday running the Brent School Without Walls stall and organising parachute games. Brent green groups were well represented with Friends of the Earth, Brent Sustainability and Brent Cyclists running stalls. As usual there was amazing dancing from various local groups.

The event is organised by the Friends of Eton Grove Park who have been extremely effective at, as they state writing a few letters and grabbing a few ears, to make improvements to a park that was run down: 'cracked walking paths, no tennis courts anymore, no football posts, no cricket crease and no flowers!'.  The group was formed in 2008 to 'bring back life, energy and security to the park'.

Since then they have managed to get:

• New fencing up along segments of the park boundary
• The children's playground has been revamped
• The reintroduction of tennis courts and a new multi-use games area

They have worked with local local schools and the community in a number of projects to improve safety in the park and local area. They have spread the environmental message working with Roe Green Junior School and Kingsbury High School.

In many ways this is an excellent example of community action which has succeeded in making real improvements in the quality of life for local people, especially the children.

There are more projects in the pipeline including a cricket pitch and facilities for older residents. I wish them well.

Michael Rosen takes on Portillo in Pensions Debate