Brent's detailed response on HS2 consultation

The Brent Executive will be asked to approve the following officers' response to the government's consultation on HS2 at their meeting on September 19th:

i. Brent Council supports, in principle, the development of high speed rail to help provide the basis for long-term and sustainable economic growth, whilst having the potential to deliver reductions in carbon emissions by achieving a modal shift from air travel. However, investment in high speed rail should not detract from funding for other rail infrastructure.

ii. Brent Council supports the proposals for the Y’ shaped network as one which delivers the greatest benefits for connecting the Midlands and the North to London.

iii. Brent Council welcomes the commitment to link HS2 to HS1. However, it is considered that the current proposal, to use existing track on the North London Line, could adversely impact upon existing suburban services, or upon future proposals to improve these. Any link should have dedicated infrastructure so as not to compromise capacity on the North London Line and/or the frequency or running speed of the HS operation.

The proposal for an interchange station at Old Oak Common is also supported in principle. However, this must maximise the potential for surface and rail connectivity with the surrounding area so that it can become a major transport hub for West London inthe same way that Stratford has developed as a major hub in East London.

There is an opportunity for interchange not only with Crossrail and the Great Western line, but also with the North and West London lines and with the existing West Coast Main Line and London Midland services at Willesden Junction, less than 800 metres away.

The Council believes that maximum benefit would be gained from linking Crossrail at Old Oak Common to the existing West Coast Main Line so that Crossrail trains could then run through onto this track and extend Crossrail northwards through Wembley Central station. This would support Brent’s largest growth area where substantial mixed use development is proposed, and make use of the track capacity anticipated to be generated by HS2.

Such a proposal would not only help maximise connectivity at Old Oak Common but would, more importantly, further relieve pressure from passengers arriving at Euston. The Council are of the view that the scope of HS2 should be widened to develop this proposal hand in hand with HS2.

Additionally the Council is concerned that the proposals do not contain details of arrangements for surface level connectivity to the hub station. The Council are of the view that the hub station should provide increased opportunity for residents in Brent, particularly those in the Harlesden and Kensal Green areas, to access employment opportunities in the region. This should be afforded by direct and suitable surface connectivity to the OOC hub station through Willesden Junction.

v The Council echoes concerns that have been expressed by residents in Brent about the potential effect on residential amenity of a tunnel for high speed trains located directly beneath their homes. Those concerns have not been addressed by information HS2 has provided during the consultation period about the impact
during construction and when HS2 is in operation.

It is Brent Council’s view that it should be possible for a tunnel to be constructed under the current West Coast Main Line track for a substantial part of the route from Old Oak Common to Euston, thus avoiding the possibility of such additional disturbance.

The Council is of the view that HS2 should undertake further work to explore the possibility of re-aligning the route (to the North Acton portal) beneath the WCML.

Additionally HS2 should ensure that construction and operational arrangements for any length of HS2 (or the HS2-HS1 link) in tunnel clearly demonstrate the absence of any impact on properties above the route so as to eliminate current concerns about amenity and blight.

The Council is also concerned about the potential impact of the proposed vent shaft on the Queens Park Station site at Salusbury Road. This is an important site which is a key part of the South Kilburn regeneration proposals, providing a mix of housing (around 200 homes) over lower ground commercial uses. The Council understands that the vent shafts are required approximately every 2 kilometres of tunnel, and that this is the distance between vents implemented on HS1. It is also understood that there is some flexibility over the precise siting of the vent shafts.

The Council is proceeding with the development of the Queens Park station site and therefore asks that the vent be located on an alternative site that is of less value to the South Kilburn redevelopment programme. For example, the vent shaftcould be located on land to the east of Queens Park station which is currently used as a builders yard/depot.

Brent Council also has an interest, as a member of the West London Waste Authority, in the potential impact of the route on the waste management site around Victoria Road in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Brent would wish to see a reconsideration of the route at this point so that it no longer impacts upon the operation of, or future operational proposals at, the Victoria Road waste transfer station.

Finally, and in the wider context, the Council is concerned about the development of HS2 proposals in the absence of plans to manage onward dispersal from Euston.Notwithstanding the positive impact of the OOC hub station on the numbers of passengers needing to use Euston, the Council is concerned that proposals for HS2 are developed and progressed in tandem with a package of measures to ensure that the transport network at, around and beyond, Euston can cope with the additional passenger numbers anticipated as a result of HS2 and regional growth.

Lollipop patrol cuts withdrawn for time being

Officers are to recommend, following the strong responses to the consultation,  that the Council should not proceed with the cuts in school crossing patrols 'at this time'. The full receommendations are below:

2.1 Agree not to proceed with the proposed withdrawal of School Crossing Patrol officers at this time,

2.2 Agree that the Director of Environment & Neighbourhood Services, together with the Director of Children & Families, undertake a detailed consultation with schools, including governors, encouraging them to contribute voluntarily to the costs of the service and further promoting the importance of road safety
education in schools,

2.3 Agree the adoption of the risk evaluation matrix set out in Section 4.2, based on rates of vehicular and pedestrian traffic flows, additional risk factors and evaluation of mitigation, and the safety ranking of sites implied by that matrix,

2.4 Agree that this matrix be used to prioritise the deployment of school crossing patrol officers at such time when there is natural turnover of staff within the service, ensuring that sites with a higher risk assessment (with an adjusted score greater than 1x106) are prioritised for cover.

2.5 Note the prioritisation of risk mitigation measures at school crossing patrol sites, particularly the introduction of speed reduction interventions and controlled crossings that will continue to reduce the adjusted risk scores of sites.

Brent Fightback recently staged a well-publicised demonstration in Kilburn against the cuts in school crossing patrols and street sweeping. The Council received the following petitions:

1. Save Brent’s Lollipops

“I believe the safety of children is very important. I oppose Labour’s plans to scrap my local lollipop person and the school crossing patrol they provide.”(Some with above generic statement, others include specific reference to particular crossings in the borough in Sudbury, Convent of Jesus and Mary Infants, Park Avenue and High Road Willesden). (529 signatures approx.)
From: Brent Liberal Democrats

2. Petition is support of Simon Isaacs from the Parents of Gladstone Park Primary School
“We the undersigned wish to express the strongest possible support for Simon Isaacs our school
crossing patrolman. We want to emphasise the quality of his personal influence on the safety of
children. Pointing out how his happy, positive and inclusive manner affects the whole community
crucially including passing drivers with no connection to the school. This criterion to the exclusion
of others should be the most important for judging whether he remains in post.”
From: Gladstone Park Primary School PSA Committee (301 signatures approx.)

3. The proposed plans to cut the fund for our School Crossing Patrol
“We the parents and children of Leopold School and residents object to our school losing our lollipop lady during the staff cutbacks. She is a valuable community member actively preventing accidents and fatalities around the school in the morning and afternoon. We would like Brent Council to reconsider its decision and keep our lollipop lady.”

From: Leopold Primary School (321 signatures approx.)
4. Petition – objection to proposed changes to the School Crossing Patrol
“We the undersigned are deeply unhappy at Brent Council’s decision to sack 30 of the 47 School Crossing Patrol Officers currently working near Brent’s schools, despite the high rates of child injury and fatality in this country, including many tragic accidents in Brent. We are also very unhappy at Brent allowing just one month for consultation, which gives no real chance for views to be gathered or for preparations to be made. The so-called consultation process is woefully inadequate.

We therefore demand that Brent’s current plans be suspended, pending adequate consultation
and consideration of all the issues.”

Lead petitioner: George Burn (682 signatures approx.)

FBU call for your support in fighting privatisation

A message from Ian Leahair, Executive Council Member of the London Region of the Fire Brigaes Union

You may or may not be aware, that the London Fire Brigade (LFB) have embarked upon a privatisation agenda of the service in London, there is no doubt that this madness and disgraceful attack on one of the best performing emergency services, is being driven by the Chair of LFEPA Councillor Brian Coleman, supported in the main by his Conservative colleagues on the authority.


The Conservative group currently have control of the authority, which was ensured by the gerrymandering of the numbers by the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, who also appears to support their actions and current direction.

You may also not be aware of the current fiasco with Asset Co (see below), the private company responsible for the supply and maintenance of the entire fleet of London fire engines and equipment, who are currently on the verge of collapse, such a collapse or winding up of Asset Co would potentially leave the entire fleet of fire engines and equipment in the hands of any creditors who already bracing themselves for considerable financial losses due to the debts owed by Asset Co.

Taking no cognisance of the current situation with asset Co, the LFB are now embarking upon outsourcing the LFB control room functions along with seeking a private company to take over the training of all London Firefighters, this embarkation can only lead to a worse service if Asset Co is the example to be followed.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) believes that the continued large scale privatisation of parts of the LFB may only lead to a worse service for the communities we serve, and we should not entertain or accept such approach from a conservative led authority, whose only agenda is to inject the private sector into an emergency service to raise profits for investors and shareholders.

The London Region of the FBU asks you, your friends, colleagues and members  to support our campaign to prevent this madness from continuing, by signing the UNISON e-petition below, against the privatisation of the LFB training and demanding that the brigade retain and enhance the current training provisions in house.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/14313

In advance of your support for this e-petition, we like to take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of all London FBU Firefighters.

Green Party calls for government to stop using ATOS

Green Party members yesterday voted to pass an emergency motion calling on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to stop using IT firm ATOS as its assessor of benefit claimants.

Concerns have been raised over the company’s suitability to conduct assessments, ranging from the lack of disabled access at their assessment centres to the shocking fact that 40% of their decisions have been found to be wrong on appeal [1].

Jillian Creasy, Green councillor for Sheffield Central who also works as a GP, said:

“ATOS’s computer-led assessment is far too blunt an instrument to assess a benefit that is vital for so many. For example, the box-ticking exercise is close to useless for assessing a condition such as autism. Not only that, but the number of decisions that have been reversed means that an awful lot of taxpayers’ money has been wasted.

“Disabled people should be afforded the dignity they deserve throughout any assessment process, and should not be presumed guilty or treated like they’re avoiding work. ATOS has no place in such a sensitive area, and we urge the government to sever all ties with the company.”

The future of waste in Wembley

Brent Council will sortly begin a new consultation on development in the Wembley area which will take into account changes in economic conditions since 2009 when the Wembley Masterplan was formulated. In a document entitled Issues and  Options it considers how 'bad neighbours' such as waste facilities should be treated. Focusing particularly on the Fifth Avenue and Hannah Close area which has several waste management plants they list various options which would result in everything from keeping things as they are to moving out the facilities and de-designating the area. This is particularly relevant in th context of the West London Waste Authority listing Hannah Close as the possible site for a new facility on top of the one recently opened by Careys.

The initial Masterplan depended very much on housing and retail as its motor. However since 2009 other priorties have emerged inluding the provision of private student accommodation, the first block of which opens opposite Wembley Park station this month.

Another concern that has arisen since has been concern from other parties of the borough about the 'Wembleycentric' nature of the borough's plans with claims that Wembley is being developed at the expense of other areas. The claim that Wembley is the recognised centre of the borough (originating from a consultant's report) is also under attack.

Doing less for those who have least

A striking phrase from  Adrian Ramsay (Deputy Green Party leader) in his speech this morning. He asked, "Does David Cameron mean, whenn he speaks about doing 'More for less' that we should be doing less for those who have least?"

This morning Peter Murry of Brent Green Party moved a motion calling for the Green Party to support the Campaign Against Climate Change pamphlet "One million green jobs" by encouraging sales of the publication and signatures for the petition. The motion was passed unanimously. Yesterday emergency resolutions were passed on the cuts in legal aid and support for the Justice for All campaign, and support for a Robin Hood Tax.

An emergency motion for later discussion has been drafted calling for elected Greens at all levels  of government to campaign  vigorously against the National Policy Planning Framework. The Framework gives priority to economic development in planning decisions at the expense of environmental and social issues. The Framework could threaten our precious open spaces such as the Welsh Harp and Fryent Country Park.

Hear Salim Shawamreh on Israeli house demolitions on Friday

Salim Shawamreh will be speaking at the Harrow Mosque (Mahfil Ali) North Harrow Assembly Hall, Station Road, Harrow at 8pm on Friday September 9th.

Salim  will  describe the experience of his family in 1948  when they were forced off their land in the  Negev Desert and made refugees. The family moved  to the Old City in Jerusalem, where Salim was  born, but then in 1967, during the Six Day War,  they were made refugees again when they were  moved to the Shufat Refugee Camp.   Salim trained as an  engineer and saved money to build a home for his  family. Despite many attempts to get a building  permit, one was never granted, which is usually  the case for Palestinians. Finally desperate to  house his family, Salim proceeded to build a  home but it was demolished by Israeli  authorities. To date this has happened four  times and each time the Israeli Committee  Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) has rebuilt  their house. A fifth demolition order is on  their house.   

Salim will be  travelling with a new photographic exhibition  prepared by ICAHD UK and entitled, ‘Dreams of  Home’.

Celebrate the life of Alf Filer

There will be a celebration of Alf's life on Saturday at the 'Tin Tabernacle' in Kilburn. Alf was a great Brent comrade and I am sad that I am unable to go as I will be at the Green Party's Conference in Sheffield. As a college lecturer and someone committed to education and social justice Alf would have been really pleased with the ESOL news reported below.

The celebration promises to be a memorable event and full details are HERE

ESOL REPRIEVE - more to fight for

The Dept of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) led by minister John Hayes has reversed its decision to make cuts to funding which would have excluded up to 75% of adults on so called ‘inactive’ benefits.

This attack represented a huge threat to adult and further education affecting some of the poorest students in inner cities mainly from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds especially women who desperately want to learn English to support their children, find work, access education and play a full role in their communities.

This means most of the 250,000 adult places that were are risk this year can be saved and is an important victory for the Action for ESOL campaign.
The campaign included parliamentary lobbying by MPs, National Institute of Adult and Community Education (NIACE), the principals’ association (AoC), Refugee Council and the University and College Union (UCU). In addition colleges up and down the country held ESOL teach-ins and demonstrations which gave ESOL students a voice and exposed the hypocrisy of making some of the poorest people in society pay for a crisis not of their making. 

In London over 500 hundred ESOL students and teachers participated in a teach-out near Parliament and marched to Downing Street to hand in a 20,000 strong petition to Save ESOL.

 The u-turn means that the money is now there for ESOL. Colleges across the country have already begun to contact students who were turned away, asking them to come back and enrol for classes this year, refund students who had been charged fees, and some ESOL teachers who had been made redundant are being re-instated.

The reprieve is only for one year and the campaign still needs to fight for asylum seekers and those on working tax credit who have been excluded from the concessions.

This victory shows that campaigning together, ESOL students with the wider community and trade union movement, can work. Campaigners are now in a much stronger position to fight to defend ESOL and the eligibility changes planned for the coming year and the strength of the campaign can be used to go on the offensive to reverse the attacks on community Outreach provision, access to Adult Education and the defence of post-16 education. Is an important turning point in the campaign to defend ESOL and all Adult education and signals a way forward to address some of the frustration and inequality that people feel which fuelled the recent riots.

Thanks to the Education Activists Alliance for this  LINK

Academy strike vote at Kingsbury High but parents and community views to be sought

I understand that majority of NUT members at Kingsbury High School have voted  for strike action over the plans to become an academy.  However members are keen to wait to hear the views of parents and the community before going any further with their plans. They hope that a many as possible turn up to hear about the issues at the public meeting they have organised next week.

The meeting is at 7pm on Tuesday September 13th at the Father O'Callaghan Centre, 26 Hay Lane, Kingbury, NW9 ONG

What would YOU like to ask Caroline Lucas?

The Guardian's political correspondent is asking readers for questions to ask Caroline Lucas when he interviews her ahead of the Sheffield Conference.

Wembley Matters is read by many people who are not Green Party members so why not send your question in LINK

Will Wembley Central station improvements match the dream?

Present entrance to Bakerloo and London Overground platforms

The Harrow Observer LINK reports that £2.5m is to be spent on Wembley Central Station in time for the Olympics. Regular readers will know that I have blogged regularly about the sad state of this 'allotment shed' on the modernised Central Square.

The money is to be spent on much needed access for the disabled including two lifts and a stair lift and making the toilets accessible. Two platforms will be extended to enable longer London Overground trains to stop there.

However there is no mention of improving communication between the Southern platforms which serve East Croydon-Shepherds Bush-Watford Junction and Milton Keynes route and the Bakerloo and Overground lines. At present you have to exit the station to change trains.

Present entrance to Southern train platforms

The original plans for the station were shelved when the money ran out.  The picture below shows what the new station was supposed to look like when the Central Square development was finished.

The original plan back in 2008

Teather Avoids Accountability on NHS

Sarah Teather MP has refused to answer any questions from her Brent Central constituents on the NHS ahead of the critical vote on the Health and Social Care Bill on 7 September.

Letters to Teather are, according to her office,  'in a four week backlog which is growing daily'. Constituents  asking for a telephone conversation with the MP are told 'Sarah is too busy to speak with constituents on the phone or to meet in person this week'. Asked if there is a statement on the Health  and Social Care Bill by Teather her office advises that no such statement has been issued.

Commenting on this total silence by his MP, Graham Durham from Brent Fightback said:

The Health and Social Care Bill seeks to remove the duty on the government to ensure an NHS is in place and seeks to promote more private profit taking from the NHS. It has caused  huge concern to the BMA and all doctor and health professional organisations are opposed to it. Nowhere in the Coalition agreement or in the Liberal Democrat manifesto was this change suggested.

When she was elected as an MP Sarah Teather promised to be available to listen to constituents but she has now refused to even explain her position on this critical issue. The delay in responding to constituents by
letter is the worst of any MP representing our area in the last 30 years.

It seems the only way constituents can influence Teather before the vote is to attend the lobby of Parliament on  September 7th (meet St Thomas' hospital at 6.30pm) in the hope that Sarah might look out of the window.

Sign the e-petition to reverse street cleaning cuts

Kilburn High Road Protest Last Month

Following their protest against street cleansing cuts last month Brent Fightback has now launched an epetition calling for the cuts to be reversed. They are calling for residents of all politicla persusions and none to sign the petition by going to LINK or www.brent.gov.uk/epetitions

This is the petition:

We the undersigned petition the council to reverse the decision to cut street sweeping services and to retain the employment of properly trained street sweepers.

The proposed cuts in street cleaning will mean most residential streets will only be cleaned once a week (previously three times a week) and a reduced service on other streets including limits on weekend work. The ending of the seasonal leaf service will result in hazardous conditions for pedestrians as leaves rot and will open the council to compensation claims for injuries. Cuts in street cleaning will coincide with the introduction of fortnightly residual rubbish collections creating potential health and safety problems caused by excess litter.

Started by: Martin Francis (Brent Fightback)

This ePetition runs from 31/08/2011 to 23/09/2011.

5-50 signatures earns a considered response form the relevant council department, 50 or over is referred to chair of the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee, 2,500 or more the right to make a 5 minute presentation at  a public meeting of an  Overview and Scrutiny Committee and 5,000 or more a special meeting of the full Council..  So please get as many signatories as possible and pass on the message.

Kingsbury High Parents Urged to Seek Ballot as Staff Ballot for Strike Action

Why have Kingsbury staff voted against converting to a Gove Academy? Why have parents demanded a ballot? Come and discuss at a public meeting on Tuesday 13^th September at 7:00pm in the Father O'Callaghan Centre, Main Hall, 26 Hay Lane, London, NW9 0NG  

Dear Parents,

As you know at the Governors meeting on 14^th July governors voted for Kingsbury High to apply for academy status. This despite the fact that ...

è  84.5%, over 4/5^ths of staff opposed the idea and voted NO in an independently overseen secret ballot.

è   at two parents meetings the overwhelming majority of parents voiced outright opposition or serious concerns.

è   parents had not then (and still have not) had their own independently overseen ballot.

è   any extra money Kingsbury might receive if they became an academy would be taken from the budgets of other schools. Younger children of Kingsbury High parents could suffer in Brent feeder primaries, losing funding, resources and even staff.

è   any extra money provided would be temporary. Michael Gove has said “the government is clear that a school converting to an academy will not have a financial advantage or disadvantage”.

è   Councils have been granted leave for judicial review of the funding arrangements. Further, the Government is itself presently reviewing funding.

è   no business plan had been done or provided for stakeholders scrutiny.

 

è   the vast majority of Brent schools are not Academies and have no plans to become Academies.

      Further, the Headteacher deliberately withheld from the Governors the fact that the school had received formal notification that staff (reluctantly and as a last resort) would be balloted for strike action if Governors voted to apply. Staff are now in the process of being balloted for strike action

           The Headteacher may tell you that the staffs' only real objections are the loss of the requirement for                n         national pay and conditions, and it being part of the privatisation of the state education agenda. They

           are not. The prime concern of staff is the long-term harm this would do to the education of

           Kingsbury pupils.

      As you know the teaching and support staff at the school are dedicated and committed to providing the best education for the pupils at the school. They are clearly against academy status. There is no evidence to show that this school becoming an academy would raise educational standards.

This is a matter of democracy. Kingsbury High School is a community asset. Proper regard and due weight in deciding its future should be given to key stakeholders, including parents and indeed pupils.

NO FINAL DECISION HAS YET BEEN TAKEN. DEMAND A BALLOT AS STAFF WERE ALLOWED. MAKE YOUR COLLECTIVE VOICE HEARD.

Parents have set up their own action group. They can be contacted via khsaac@hotmail.co.uk

We are the staff's local professional association representatives. Please contact us if you have any questions.

            Hank Roberts hankr@hotmail.com      0208 961 2251 or 07762737306

            Shane Johnschwager johnschwager@hotmail.com  07734703072

Kingsbury High School Academy Consultation - but where's the debate and secret ballot?

Following last term's controversy over the Kingsbury High School governors' decision to apply for academy status and a student strike calling for more consultation, the headteacher Jeremy Waxman has organised a series of meetings to discuss the plans. He has told parents that without academy status the school will be forced to make redundancies:

To start with, let me reassure you that there would be no change to the ethos of the school. Kingsbury High has the opportunity to convert because we are a successful school. There would be none of the changes which have taken place where less successful schools have been forced to become academies

The main advantage for Kingsbury High and our communities is that funding will come directly from the government rather than via the Council and, because it comes direct, the funding is at a higher level.

This will help in two very important ways.

• It will enable us to invest in the school, particularly in ICT.
•  Sixth form funding is set to reduce in 2013 and Academy status will enable us to maintain the high standards that led to the sixth form being judged outstanding by Ofsted last year.

Without Academy status, the school will be forced to make reductions in the number of teachers we employ to the detriment of the education we offer. 

If Kingsbury High were to convert to Academy status we will continue to be active partners in the educational community. We have a long history of leading sport in the borough. And with our local primary and special schools we have formed the Kingsbury Schools Together partnership. These partnerships will continue if we convert to academy status. We will also reassure our staff by committing to their current terms and conditions. 

By 1st August, over one thousand two hundred of England’s secondary schools were already academies or had applied to become one. That’s 40%. Soon it will be over half. I do not want Kingsbury High to be left behind. 

I have been Headteacher at Kingsbury High for over 18 months now. I have loved working at the school, getting to know you and your children. I have been proud to lead the school from the poor Ofsted verdict it got in 2009 to a position where in July 2010 we were judged “Good with Outstanding Features”. That success has given us the opportunity to apply for Academy status. I ask for your support in making this decision for the good of the future of Kingsbury High and the communities we are proud to serve.

Waxman fails to note that the additional funding will be at the expense of other local schools and the local authority and that there is no guaranatee that it will continue to be funded at the higher level as the academy and free school projects expand.  There is further documentation on the school website HERE. There appears to be no provision for the through going open public debate that opponents of academies requested.
The school's written questionnaire for parents and carers is HERE and there appears to be no provision for the wider community to make submissions or an independent ballot of all concerned.

The meetings will be held at the K building on the Princes Avenue site  today Monday September 5th at  5pm, 6.30pm and 8pm , Tuesday September 6th at 5pm, 6.30pm and 8pm, Thursday September 8th at 6.30pm and 8pm, Friday September 9th at 5pm and 6,30pm and Saturday September 10th at 10am and noon.

Students are urging pupils to attend  to make their views known and are seeking lunchtime meetings for those who can't make it after school. The student Facebook page is HERE

The timetable for conversion is short but the Department for Education is likely to make a decision on the application in early September before the consultation is completed. An employment Question and Answer paper is being circulated to staff early this term and the consultation closes on September 20th. The full governing body, which voted for the application by 15 votes to 3 on July 14th will decide whether to convert at their meeting on September 29th. If they vote in favour the provision date for conversion is December 1st 2011.

NHS Demonstration and Vigil on Health Bill

Click on image to enlarge

Brent Fightback will be supporting an urgent call for action as the government try to push the Health Bill through parliament. There will be a demonstration and march from St Thomas Hospital, Lambeth Palace Road to Parliament, assembling at the hospital at 6.30pm and then a Torchlight Vigil outside Parliament at 9.30pm. MAP If you can help with leafleting for the demonstrations please meet at the cafe just inside the main entrance of Central Middlesex hospital at noon tomorrow (Monday).

See below for legal advice that proves we are right to be concerned that the Bill still threatens the very existence of the National Health Service and important information about how you can help.

We can make a real difference as some Liberal Democrats threaten a rebellion. Meanwhile the government tries to hold the line and submits a deluge of name change amendments.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/aug/31/lib-dem-rebellion-health-bill

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/31/nhs-bill-amendments-mainly-name-changes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14732431

Legal advice shows we are right

Independent legal advice with funding from 38 degrees shows our concerns about the future of the NHS are right- see more information here: 

http://www.dutytoprovide.net/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/aug/29/nhs-bill-lansley-wash-hands                

Email your MP with the legal advice here:

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/content/NHS-legal-advice/

How lobbying a Lord can make a difference

If the Bill is passed in the commons next week it will then pass to the Lords. Lords are not used to being lobbied so we need to show them how it’s done! Take the time to lobby one here:

http://www.goingtowork.org.uk/peers/

Shirley Williams has said she will take account of the size of her post bag so you might want to email or write to her! Ruth Rendell speaks out here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/aug/30/ruth-rendell-attacks-public-spending-cuts

Other useful links

Keep Our NHS Public

MPU letter for GPs

Unison leaflet

Unite

Health Worker Network

Help me to evict unwanted tenants

Despite having a table cloth sized garden I have designed it to encourage wildlife - what more would you expect from a Greenie?  It has been successful despite visitors scoffing at the idea that I actually designed this jungle. Recently some would be burglars who jumped over the fence were rather surprised to land in the pond!

Recently though I feel rather like Percy the Park Keeper who was besieged by woodland creatures on one snowy night. A family of squirrels have decided that they like my place so  much that they have moved into the loft.  I have had to bang on the ceiling to quieten them down when they have made a rumpus at 3am in the morning.

The upshot is that despite all my commitment to social justice and animal rights I have decided to evict them. I would welcome any suggestions readers may have on how to do this humanely. I hasten to add that there is plenty of alternative accommodation available in nearby Fryent Country Park, although lacking my loft's luxury cushion of loft insulation.

Brent Library Cuts Will Be Devastating for Children

Coverage of Brent library closures in the Evening Standard can be found HERE

DCMS still in libraries dialogue with Brent Council

I have received this response from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regarding my request for a public inquiry into Brent library closures LINK

Dear Mr Francis,

Thank you for your August letter to the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, expressing concern about library closures. Your letter has now been passed on to the libraries’ policy team in the DCMS as they are responsible for monitoring and assessing all correspondence to the Department on library services. 

DCMS officials have met with officers from Brent Council and are in the process of considering all the relevant evidence and all the issues. The Department will continue to maintain dialogue with the local authority. Once all the relevant issues have been considered, the Secretary of State will decide whether or not to intervene, or whether further actions on the part of Brent Council are required. It may be helpful for some background information to be provided to you on the subject of library services.

The Government is committed to championing the public library service. Libraries can and do contribute to a range of local and national government priorities – for example, they can help people access a whole range of educational materials, find employment or get online support for many issues such as health and well-being improvement; and libraries work with parents, schools and colleges to support education and learning agendas. All these connections can have positive benefits for communities.

Decisions about library services, both before and after consultation with local communities, are a matter for the local authority in the first instance. The Secretary of State, the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, has  several duties imposed on him  under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 this includes the duty to  superintend the delivery of the public library service provided  by local authorities. Developments concerning library services across England are being carefully monitored and assessed by officials. The Minister for Culture, Ed Vaizey MP, has written to every local authority in England to remind them of their responsibility under the Act to provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service. In that letter he repeated the key findings from the report of the inquiry that was held in 2009 into proposed closures of libraries by Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council: that when re-organising library services it is important that authorities have a strategy, that they have considered the needs of their local communities and that they have consulted local people.

The closure of a library does not of itself signal an automatic breach of the 1964 Act. Sometimes a library authority will close or consider closing a library to ensure a more efficient service across its geographical area overall and this will be based on a local assessment of library needs at the material time.

The Department takes very seriously compliance by local authorities with their statutory duty to understand the local need for public library services and to provide a comprehensive and efficient service to match those needs. DCMS is aware of the judicial review claim against the London Borough of Brent. The Department has also received correspondence in relation to public library services in Brent and is in the process of considering these.

Brent’s  plans are being considered as part of our monitoring processes for library authorities across England. No decision to intervene in the case of Brent has been taken but we are monitoring this case along with others. Consideration by the Secretary of State of whether or not any statutory powers should be used to assess an authority’s compliance with the 1964 Act will be made on a case-by-case basis and after careful consideration of all relevant facts and issues.

In Defence of Ward Working

Art display at Chalkhill Primary

The amount of money spent on Ward Working by Brent Council has been attacked a number of times since the council started making cuts. Opponents have argued that the money could be used to retain services that will otherwise be closed, including libraries. Ex Conservative and Democratic Conservative Councillor, Robert Dunwell, renews the attack in the current Willesden and Kilburn Times.

In the absence of a concerted anti-cuts strategy by the Labour Council it is all too easy for divide and rule tactics to pitch groups against each other.

Ward Working enables the local community to decide with their ward councillors what their ward of £20,000  should be spent on and I would argue that it unites rather than divides the community. When it works well it can produce real change in an area and brings councillors and the community closer. With the current cabinet system excluding rank and file councillors it also provides councillors with an opportunity to make a real difference at grassroots level.

The council sets out the remit clearly:

Ward Working operates in every ward in Brent. Every ward has a budget of £20,000 to tackle the top issues of concern. The money is for one-off capital projects. We aim to find new or innovative ways of tackling issues to provide lasting solutions. The money isn't used to substitute for things that should be done anyway.

To declare an interest, I approached Barn Hill councillors on behalf of Chalkhill Primary School  last year for some help with funding the temporary swimming pool installed at the school. This funding enabled people to learn to swim who would not otherwise have had the chance. The Ward Working section of the council website HERE has full details of the projects and is a good example of transparency.

Using Barn Hill ward as an example this is how the money has been spent:

• Chalkhill Primary school swimming pool for £5,000 - installation of temporary swimming pool
• Brent Town Hall library activities for £600 - Manga art sessions
• Kingsbury and Preston Somali youth project  for £4, 000 - support for homework club
• Chalkhill DJ project for £2,170 - support for youth engagement project to engage young people
• Brent Town Hall library homework club for £510 - support for volunteer reading help at homework club
• Chalkhill Wanderers football project for £5,350 - support for pitch hire and other costs for locally-run team
• Chalkhill allotments for £1,000 - gardening and growing project
• burglary reduction initiative for £350 - purchase of security equipment for vulnerable elderly people.

At the other end of the borough in Harlesden ward money was spent on:

• alley-gating scheme at St Thomas's Road for £1,905 - installation of alley-gates to prevent fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour 
• Athletic Football Club (AFC) Wembley football project for £6,500 - contribution towards IT and music mentoring and support towards coaching qualifications. A joint project with Dudden Hill ward
• Harlesden Primary School equipment for £3,726 - contribution towards the cost of media equipment to enhance school provision and for community groups who wish to use it
• Cricklewood Homeless Concern winter night shelter project for £2,000 - support to homeless members of the community who are in need of shelter during the winter at All Souls Church
• Harlesden responsible traders scheme for £200 - support for a pilot a scheme in Harlesden Town Centre paying for boundary markers for shops licensed to trade on the pavement
• Challenge Close soil survey for £4,000 - funding of a soil survey for Challenge Close with a view to assessing the suitability for developing an allotment for community use
• Bang Radio and Harlesden SNT project for £400 - funding towards a partnership radio programme with Harlesden Safer Neighbourhoods Team to raise awareness of community safety issues
• Fortunegate Elders Forum £1,000 - contribution towards a community celebration to bring together elders to combat social exclusion
• energy solutions scheme for £270 - provision of emergency heaters to loan to vulnerable residents whose heating systems have broken down

Both wards have made a comparatively small amount of money go a long way in making a real difference to the quality of life of people in their community.  It would surely be a shame if all these opportunities (there's a list for every ward) were to disappear.

Pile on the Pressure: e-mail your MP on NHS now

A message from 38 Degrees:

In just one week, your MPs have to vote on massive changes to our NHS. But 38 Degrees members now have something our MPs don’t – thorough, independent legal advice about what these changes really mean.

Our expert legal advice is sobering. Despite the “listening exercise”, the government’s changes to the NHS plans could still pave the way for a shift towards a US-style health system, where private companies profit at the expense of patient care.

MPs are being told by the government that the NHS is safe. If they read our evidence, they’ll know that the spin doesn’t stand up. We can put them under massive pressure to vote to save our NHS. So we need to work together to get the legal advice to our MPs right now!

Email your MP now:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/email-the-evidence

Our independent lawyers identified two major problems in the new legislation:

• The Secretary of State’s legal duty to provide a health service will be scrapped. On top of that, a new “hands-off clause” removes the government's powers to oversee local consortia and guarantee the level of service wherever we live. We can expect increases in postcode lotteries – and less ways to hold the government to account if the service deteriorates.

• The NHS will almost certainly be subject to UK and EU competition law and the reach of procurement rules will extend across all NHS commissioners. Private health companies will be able to take new NHS commissioning groups to court if they don’t win contracts. Scarce public money could be tied up in legal wrangles instead of hospital beds. Meanwhile, the legislation lifts the cap on NHS hospitals filling beds with private patients.

So who are MPs going to listen to when casting their vote – you, or lobbyists from private health companies? This is our NHS, and it’s up to us to defend it. Email your MP now:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/email-the-evidence

It’s pretty extraordinary what we’ve managed to achieve together already. Nearly half a million of us have signed the petition to save the NHS. And after Andrew Lansley announced the last round of changes, thousands of 38 Degrees members immediately chipped in to get top independent legal advice on the new plans.

Barrister Rebecca Haynes found that the government's plans could pave the way for private healthcare companies and their lawyers to benefit most from changes, not patients. Another barrister, Stephen Cragg, found that we were right to be worried that Andrew Lansley was planning to remove his duty to provide our NHS.

This is the conclusion of a top legal team paid to have no other interest at heart but yours.

MPs vote in just seven days. Seven days to not only get the evidence, but be convinced there’s way too much public concern to ignore it. The good news is, with over 800,000 of us now armed with expert legal advice, we are just the people to speak up. Let’s give MPs from all parties the mandate they need to think again and vote against these changes to the NHS.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/email-the-evidence

Eid Celebration a Lesson in Inclusivity

I had a stroll around the Eid funfair and celebration in Fryent Country Park earlier this week and was impressed by the friendly family atmosphere which managed to combine fun, food and prayer in a novel way.

The celebration was in Fryent for the first time having transferred from Barham Park where it was held last year and the move seemed to have been successful. Many local people, Muslim and non-Muslim, were enjoying themselves despite the dodgy weather.

The mixture was interesting in the light of Brent Council's decision not to fund religious festivals because they claim that they are not inclusive of all communities. This event has never claimed council funds and is funded by sponsorship and donations but the organisers, 1Eid, make it clear where they stand on inclusivity, They state that their mission is to strengthen and unite local communities by reviving, celebrating and sharing the essence of Eid and their aims include:

• Sharing Eid with the family of mankind
• Empowering women through Eid by including them
• Providing the opportunity for the development of unbiased opinions about Islam
• Delighting local communities with funfairs, food and culture

They call on the community to:

STAND WITH US FIRM and help us eradicate islamaphobia through celebration and smiles

As I remarked the organisers have never claimed government or council funding but what they are doing certainly challenges some of the ideas expressed by councillors and council officers about festivals and inclusivity.

Pub Quiz to Raise Library Campaign Funds

Click on image to enlarge

Private Tenants Need Protection - Jenny Jones

Responding to the National Housing Federation report projecting a decline in home ownership in the UK, Jenny Jones, Green Party Assembly Member and London Mayoral candidate said:

Home ownership in London has been in decline for a decade, dropping from 60% to 52% of households. This means that more and more Londoners rely on one of the most insecure rental sectors in Europe, where tenants are unable to resist rent hikes and are scared to challenge slum landlords.
 
Ireland is more enlightened - after six months you get an automatic right to stay for another three and a half years and landlords need a good reason to evict you. In the UK you can be kicked out with two months' notice and the landlord doesn’t need to give you a reason. We urgently need to protect London's private tenants, whether they live there by choice or because they're priced out of home ownership. 

Write to Jeremy Hunt urgently on Brent library closures

Brent SOS Libraries has asked supporters to write to Jeremy Hunt calling for him to use his powers to order a public inquiry into the Brent Library closures. Letters should be sent urgently (address below) as he is likely to reach his decision in early September. Follow this LINK for details and letter writing ideas.

This is the letter I have sent:

Dear Secretary of State,

I am writing to express my deep concern about the potentially devastating impact on children of Brent’s libraries strategy, which involves the closure of half of its libraries. I urge you to use your powers under the Museum and Libraries Act 1964 [s10(1)(b)] to ascertain whether its closure plans will mean it no longer meets its s7 duties to provide a comprehensive and efficient service to local people.

I am a retired primary headteacher  and Chair of Governors at two local primary schools so I have a particular interest in how these changes will impact on children. I outline below some factors that I think make a public inquiry vital.

Schools in the borough face a formidable challenge in educating their pupils due to Brent’s high levels of child poverty, high pupil mobility and high numbers of children at the beginning stages of learning English. I know from experience that many pupils have few if any books in their homes. Headteachers and teachers need every weapon in their armoury in tackling these issues and easily accessible, local libraries are absolutely essential. Older primary school children are able to go to local libraries independently and this is important when they have a single parent at home with young children or parents who work long hours and are unable to take them to the library.

Children also use these local libraries to attend homework clubs or access the internet for school work when they do not have a computer at home. I visited Neasden Library which is the nearest library to one of my schools on a Friday after school to find it buzzing with a homework club in session, children working on computers and others choosing reading books. The pupil School Council has told me how much they will be affected by the library’s closure. Other libraries will be too far away for them to travel to alone. Removal of these facilities will increase inequality in the borough.

Schools arrange regular class visits to their local library which gets children new to the country familiar with the public library system and encourages the habit of regular reading. These visits will no longer be possible if the nearest library is no longer a walkable distance. During the holiday I met an eight year old child from one of my schools at the local library who was going their every day to borrow books as part of the summer holiday Reading Challenge. Closure of libraries will mean that this extremely worthwhile nationwide programme is not accessible to some of our children.

In the light of the above I ask that in any inquiry you should decide whether:

1. The Council has properly considered the impact on children of its plans and whether these will impact disproportionately on those from particular backgrounds or from specific geographic locations.
2. The  Council has adequately assessed the potential impact of loss of access to books and IT equipment on educational achievement and cultural enrichment of young people.
3. The Council has assessed the potential negative impact on GSCE and A Level grades caused by  loss of quiet study facilities for older children  for research, study  and revision. Many come from over-crowded homes or temporary accommodation where it is hard to study. 

Brent schools have done a tremendous job in improving educational outcomes which are now often above national averages. The closure of local libraries will undermine these efforts.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Francis

Write your letters to:

Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP

Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics Media and Sport

Department for Culture Media and Sport

2-4 Cockspur Street

London SW1Y 5DH

huntj@parliament.ukor e-mail  
dempster.marples@culture.gsi.gov.uk

MUGA Battles

Residents of the Chalkhill Estate, and particularly local youth, have recently protested that the Council has dropped plans for a MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) in St David's Close.  They see this as an important facility for young people in the area who lack such provision. The Council claim that there were never any plans for a MUGA on that site.

Meanwhile, just up the road residents near Preston Manor High School are protesting about plans to build a MUGA in the school grounds as part of the changes associated with the construction of a primary school on the site. This MUGA will be floodlit and that is the aspect particularly vexing the school's neighbours.

The planning committee originally attached a condition to the planning application that would prevent harm to local amenities from light spillage. The Council is now seeking a 'non material' variation that would allow 'restricted light spillage' to neighbouring gardens.

Residents are concerned about how late the MUGA will remain open and worried about noise.  They claim that the plans are a result of pressure from Sports England to compensate for the playing field space lost through the building of the primary school. They suggest that a sports centre for secondary pupils has been smuggled through on the back of the primary expansion with residents kept in the dark (not for long!). They suggest that a grassed area for primary school pupils to play on would have been a much better use of the space.

MUGAs are a great resource and I support school facilities being open out of hours for the community but there are clearly issues around whether this facility is of the right type in the right place. It is important that the Council, school and local residents engage in a dialogue to find a solution that is satisfactory for all parties.

24 Free Schools Is a Weak Start to Coalition Campaign Against Local Authority Schools

Wandswoth lobby against an ARK free school proposal

24 new 'free schools' are to open in September. 17 are primary, 5 secondary and 2 'all-through'. The government will pay capital costs of between £110m and £130m  for these schools, which will open in a variety of buildings including former shops, offices and libraries. Their running costs will also be provided by the government and they will operate outside local democratic control.  The capital costs are much higher than first suggested and budget issues may have restricted the number approved this year. If the budget is increased it will impact on already  stretched local authority budgets.

The government will try and sell the 24 schools as a great policy success but the number is actually very low in comparison will earlier government claims and the receipt of 323 applications in the first round and 281 in the second.  However numbers are likely to be artifically boosted because the government will insists that any new schools needed to address a rising pupil population must be free schools or academies. They will of course spin that the resultant increase in numbers reflects public support for the policy.

This is a similar tactic to that used under the Labour government to ensure that the new school needed in Brent was an academy: the Tory-Lib Dem Council administration were told that there was no chance of a new local authority secondary school. The same argument is being repeated today as the Labour council struggle to address the shortage of school places. Denied the possibility of new local authority primary schools  the Council will be under pressure to support free school bids. Providers such as ARK will claim they are performing a valuable service by providing for children who would otherwise be without a school place.


In fact, rather than being initiated by parents or teachers the list  includes two ARK primary schools which are run by hedge fund speculators,  while former fee paying Batley Grammar School will now be state-funded giving what one parent referred to as an unexpected 'bonus' when he no longer has to pay fees. The list also includes a significant number of faith schools.

Aldborough E-ACT Free School Redbridge
All Saints Junior School Reading
ARK Conway Primary Academy Hammersmith & Fulham
ARK Atwood Primary Academy Westminster
Batley Grammar School Kirklees
Bradford Science Academy Bradford
Bristol Free School Bristol
Canary Wharf College Tower Hamlets
Discovery New School West Sussex
Eden Primary School Haringey
Etz Chaim Primary School Barnet
The Free School, Norwich Norfolk
Krishna-Avanti Primary School Leicester
Langley Hall Primary Academy Slough
Maharishi School, Lathom Lancashire
Moorlands School Luton
Nishkam Free School Birmingham
Priors Free School Warwickshire
Rainbow Free School Bradford
Sandbach School Cheshire
St Luke's Church of England Primary School Camden
Stour Valley Community School Suffolk
West London Free School Hammersmith & Fulham
Woodpecker Hall Primary Academy Enfield

Brent Housing Scams Alert

Brent Citizens Advice Bureau issued an alert on housing scams in the current edition of its Newsletter:

Clients are regularly reporting housing scams in Brent, which have a huge impact on vulnerable clients already struggling to make ends meet. Brent CAB is compiling evidence about these scams to help campaign against them. They include problems with landlords, estate agents and letting agencies.

Deposit scams are a frequent issue. Landlords often refuse to pay tenants their deposit back when they move out. They unjustly say the client has damaged the property or that they will pay the deposit back on a specific date. When the date comes, the deposit is not paid back. The landlord provides another date and keeps delaying the process. The landlord is meant to put the deposit into a special deposit account called a payment protection scheme so that they cannot access the money, but they often don’t. This means the client is forced to go to court to get the money back.

Another deposit problem often arises when clients pay their estate agent the deposit to give to the landlord. When the client leaves the property they ask the landlord for the deposit, but the landlord says the estate agent has it, whereas the estate agent says the landlord has it. The client is in a Catch 22 position and will again have to take court action to get their deposit back – this naturally costs time and money.

Letting agencies often do not fulfill their agreements. One of these provided a client with a contract for accommodation and said that work would be done to fix broken appliances by a certain date. After this date the client moved in but no changes had been made, including a shower which was still not working. The agency abdicated responsibility. This happens frequently in Brent.

Some Brent landlords dishonestly put their name on the client's tenancy agreement as a user of the property. This means the tenant has no security of tenure and can be evicted with very limited notice. In houses of multiple occupancy, if the tenant pays in cash and does not get a receipt each time or write it in a rent book, it is also possible they will lose their deposit as a landlord can claim it, saying they did not pay rent on a specific week, where there is no proof of payment.

Brent CAB has Housing Advisers available to help Brent residents with these problems: 270-272 High Road, Willesden, NW10 2EY Advice line: Monday-Friday 9.30am-5.30pm 0845 050 5250

Harlesden Comes Together After the Disturbances

Brent News Company TV has posted an interesting video of the recent Community Link Up event in Harlesden organised by J-Star (Just Stand Together and Reach) which took place in the aftermath of the disturbances. It includes comments by Ann John, leader of Brent Council on the events in the borough. It deserves wider viewing than it has received so far so I post it below: