Public Meeting on Kingsbury Academy Bid Tonight at 7pm

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 

Consternation over boundary changes - see the maps

The Boundary Commission's draft proposals for changes in Brent's parliamentary representation have been received with some consternation - as you can see by comments on this blog and elsewhere. Brent wards would be scattered across five parliamentary constituencies. The 12 week consultation period is now open and closes on December 5th 2011. Two consultation meetings will be held in Brent - both at Brent Town Hall in Wembley (sorry Willesdenites!) on Tuesday 20th October and Wednesday 21st October. Full details are on the Brent website along with PDF's of the maps I reproduce below for those who prefer iconographic representation LINK Click on images to enlarge

 

 

 

Wembley and Perivale

Willesden

Stanmore

Hampstead and Kilburn

Harrow

 

Riots: Green Party calls for public inquiry and reversal of public service cuts

The following Emergency Motion on the recent English riots was passed at the Green Party Conference at the weekend:

Conference is appalled at the outbreak of violence, looting, arson and murder that took place in English cities in August. The riots were a manifestation of anger that has deep roots and obvious triggers. The roots include inequality, loss of social cohesion, cuts in local public services, unemployment, increasing poverty, resentment against the police, consumerism and gang culture. The triggers were the Police’s killing of Mark Duggan and their exceptionally inept handling of its aftermath.

To address these problems we advocate immediate action to reverse the cuts in public services, increase support for disadvantaged communities and provide a 100% earnings disregard for work of local benefit. In punishing rioters there should be more use of restorative justice and community payback orders. There must also be an independent inquiry into the death of Mark Duggan and its aftermath.

These measures, however, will not deal with the roots of the problem. We call for a public inquiry into the deeper causes of social breakdown which lie as much in the excesses of the powerful as in the conditions of the powerless. This inquiry should seek to create a consensus for remedial actions which need to be as radical as those that created the welfare state 60 years ago.

Conference calls upon our elected representatives put forward these measures at every relevant opportunity.

BNCTV on street sweeping cuts

To support the e-petition against the cuts in street cleaning go to www.brent.gov.uk/epetitions

Thanks to BNCTV HERE

Lucas supports Palestine UN bid

Caroline Lucas MP has called for support for the Palestinian bid for admission to UN:

It's time. Now. 

Rather than wait for the international community to get its act together, the Palestinians have taken hold of the diplomatic agenda. Their application for admission to the UN in September is an attempt to breathe genuine life into a peace process that currently lies inert. The Palestinians are seeking only what they have been promised for decades - but which the international community has failed to deliver. 

Appealing to the UN is the very opposite of taking "unilateral" action as they have been accused. The Palestinians have stated clearly that admission is not the same as statehood. Peace and statehood will come only via negotiations - but admission offers the best, the most effective guarantor of a resumption of good faith negotiations. Without those, a lasting peace
amounts to little more than a forgotten speech, a remark in an interview or a quickly abandoned election promise. 

The Palestinians have appealed to civil societies around the world to support them. 650,000 people signed a global petition organised by Avaaz - that probably includes you. The UK government has given us a chance to formally express that support and we ought to take the opportunity to do so.

We have watched as negotiations brought no gains - even as more illegal settlements are planned, announced and built. We do not need merely to watch any longer.

The link to the epetition site is here:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/593

 

Brent Fightback Meeting Postponed

The Brent Fightback meeting planned for tomorrow (Tuesday) evening is being postponed. There are other important events that some of Fightback's most active supporters will be attending, principally the Barnet Council Unison strike rally and the Public Meeting on Kingsbury High School  in the main hall of the Father O'Callaghan Centre, 26 Hay Lane at 7.00 pm.

Boundary changes will mean 5 MPs representing Brent wards

Proposals today from the Boundary Commission for England and Wales could see the people of Brent represented by five different members of parliament.  In order to distribute the electorate of each constituency fairly the following changes are put forward:

• Kenton ward would join a new Harrow constituency , renamed from the old Harrow East constituency (Current MP Bob Blackman, Conservative)
• Fryent and Queesnbury wards would join a new Stanmore constituency, renamed from the old Harrow West constituency (Current MP Gareth Thomas (Labour)
• Brondesbury Park would be taken out of Hampstead and Kilburn, and put into Brent Central and the constituency would be  renamed Willesden. It will now include College Park and Old Oak wards from Hammersmith and Fulham. (Current MP Sarah Teather Liberal Democrat)
• Brent North would be renamed Wembley and Perivale and include Tokyngton ward and Perivale ward from the old Ealing North Constituency. (Current MP Barry Gardiner Labour)
•  Kilburn and Queens Park wards will remain in Hampstead and Kilburn constituency. Current MP Glenda Jackson Labour)

The proposals will have all the Brent political parties busy  trying to work out the impact on their vote. For older Brentonians the names will bring back memories of the two political entities that were merged to make Brent: Willesden and Wembley. 'Brent' disappears from the parliamentary political landscape.

Brent Citizen's Advice and Brent Law Centre to be funded for further 6 months

The Executive is due to discuss a recommendation to continue funding Brent Citizen's Advice Bureau and the Brent Community Law Centre for a further 6 months from October 1st 2011 to March 31st 2012. Additional funding from Brent Child and Families for outreach work at the CAB also expires in March 2012.

The battle will now commence to ensure funding in the new financial year when a further round of council cuts is due and when demand for the services will increase as benefit cuts bite.