Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con): Will my right hon. Friend join me in condemning Labour-run Brent council, which at tonight’s budget meeting proposes to close six libraries and all its day care centres, introduce fortnightly refuse collections, and hammer street cleansing and the voluntary sector, while taking the £2.5 million grant that was meant to freeze council tax and applying it to balances?
Mr Pickles: What a tragic council that is. All it needs to do is take a short ride on the tube to see adjoining authorities in London that are protecting libraries, expanding their services and protecting the front line. No doubt it will get its come-uppance.
A group of protesters entered the Town Hall while others continued to protest outside
I am unable to bring you a report on tonight's Brent Council meeting, which was voting on a cuts package that will seriously damage the people of Brent, because police barred me, and many others, from attending the meeting of the Council. Admission was by ticket only with a limited number issued. There were empty seats in the chamber and on other occasions the public have been allowed to stand. Not tonight.
I was told by the police that they had been called by the Council and instructed to remove me from the building (Brent Town Hall) because I was trespassing. When I said that I was there to see democracy in action I was told that democracy was voting in elections and protesting was nothing to do with democracy. When I said that I wanted to report on the debate and the arguments for and against the cuts, I was told that it was for the Council to decide whether they wanted their proceedings reported and that Parliament didn't let the public into all their debates.
Frustrated campaigners continued to protest outside the Council chamber for some time until they left in orderly fashion. They left having made their point that they were not prepared to accept the supine position of Labour councillors who appeared prepared to damage the very people that they had been elected to serve and protect.
Groups from a variety of campaigns had lobbied outside the Town Hall from 6pm in a good-humoured but determined show of solidarity.
Labour Brent Council promised to protest the most vulnerable from local government cuts, particularly as these groups had already been hit by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition cuts in benefits and the housing benefit cap, with children hit by the ending of the Building Schools for the Future Programme and the scrapping of the Education Maintenance Allowance.
But the Labour Council's cuts and increased charges will hit the same groups:
£2.25m cuts in Children's Centres with reduced staffing and three centres that will not now open affecting the futures of children in poorer families
Cutting the portage service which helps families with children with disabilities
Reduced funding for children's social care affecting child in care and payments to adopting families
Reduced funding for services for children with special educational needs and disabilities including the end of the Easter Play Scheme
Cutting the funding of the Young Carers who provide support and respite for young people who look after older siblings or parents
Cuts in the School Improvement Service which supports schools in difficulty and ensures the quality of provision is maintained
Closure of the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre which generations of Brent children have used to get hands on experience of science and environmental education (negotiations are in progress with a private sponsor to take over funding)
Closure of 6 out of 12 libraries with, in addition, Willesden Green Library Centre closed for two years if a private developer can be found
The closure of the Charteris Sports Centre which is the only community resource in its area
The closure of Youth Clubs in Wembley and St Raphaels which have enabled youngsters to train in sports and other activities giving them self-confidence and motivation, and cutting Connexions which gives support and guidance to young people on the way to education, training and employment
Increased council rents hitting families already hit by the economic recession
Closure of day centres for people with disabilities and mental health problems
The sacking of park wardens who keep our parks and open spaces safe thus increasing their usage by children and older people, replacing them with a mobile patrol visiting less frequently
Closure of the Brent Law Centre which gives advice and support to precisely those people who are being hit by Coalition, and now Council, cuts.
Loss of many jobs in Brent Council and in the longer term in schools, increasing local unemployment and the number of children living in poverty.
This will be disastrous for the people of the Brent and the long-term impact will be much more expensive to put right than the money saved in the short-term. But it is not just a question of money - we know from past experience that early intervention works but if problems are left too long the result is ruined lives, lost potential and a community under siege. We cannot let that happen.
As Council's across the country face protests as they vote on drastic cuts packages the various single issue campaigns across Brent are readying themselves to join the Brent Fightback demonstration tomorrow (Monday 28th February) outside Brent Town Hall. The demonstration will start at 6pm.
The Labour group will be meeting before the full Council and it is likely that there may be a few minor concessions from the leadership in order to keep some dissident councillors in line. However the vast majority of the cuts, despite the leadership's claims to the contrary, will go ahead and hit the most vulnerable of Brent residents, including falling disproportionately on children and young people and those with disabilities.
If Labour councillors are to remain true to their principles they should really vote against the entire package and ally themselves with trades unions and community groups fighting the Coalition's slashing of public services.
If you want to identify your local councillors so that you can speak to them tomorrow, follow this LINK which includes portraits as well as contact details.
Determined campaigners brave the rain for a photo-shoot
(Click on images to enlarge)
Lots of local families crowded into Cricklewood Library today for a 'read-in' which showed the breadth of opposition to library closures. Guest story-tellers and some on the spot volunteers read to more than 70 children who attended throughout the 'read-in' and we even managed to have some parachute games despite the confined space.
Graham Durham of the Save Cricklewood Library Campaign everyone to attend the demonstration against the cuts at 6pm at Brent Town Hall on Monday. Cllr Shafique Choudhary, the only councillor to attend, was thanked for turning up and urged to vote against ALL the cuts on Monday.
Ken Livingstone said that there were two main arguments against the cuts the government were imposing. Firstly President Obama had decided not to make cuts while the economy was still weak and that decision had seen the US economy recovering quicker than that of the UK. Secondly there was an alternative to the cuts and that was to take action against tax avoidance and tax evasion by big business.
Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has positioned herself as "the real opposition" to the coalition Government.
Speaking from her party's spring conference in Cardiff, she said: "How can they oppose the market in the NHS when they first introduced it?
"How are they opposing tuition fees when they first introduced it? How do they oppose the selling off of the Royal Mail? That was (former business secretary) (Lord) Peter Mandelson."
Ms Lucas added: "I've always been a bit ambitious, but I do think the Green Party is the real opposition.
"The Lib Dems are part of the Government - they can't speak out about proper constitutional reform or nuclear weapons or nuclear power or many of the things they stood for.
"Labour is utterly contaminated by the fact they pursued many of the policies which now the coalition Government is simply taking to their logical conclusions, so I think people are looking for a genuine opposition - and you won't be surprised to know I think that's the Green Party."
