London Green Party calls for action to end London’s housing crisis

 Green Party leader Natalie Bennett will tomorrow highlight the desperate shortage of affordable housing in London in a protest outside Mount Pleasant development in Islington

 

The party says this new development of 700 private flats is symbolic of Mayor Boris Johnson’s strategy of prioritising homes for the super-rich whilst ordinary Londoners are priced out of their homes.

 

Natalie Bennett commented:

Boris Johnson is once again riding roughshod over the people of London by privileging the profit of a developer over the need to provide ordinary Londoners with affordable homes. By providing only 12 per cent affordable housing in the new development, he's failing to allow for the development of a balanced community. He's not providing homes for the teachers, police officers, cleaners, and many other people who serve our communities, but setting up big profits for property speculators and private landlords. This public land should be put to community use with genuinely affordable council housing. That is why I ask all those who feel that it is time for change to join us Islington on Saturday 15th February from 10am.

Research from the Mayor’s office shows that, despite the rise in homelessness and overcrowded housing in London, two-thirds of all newly built properties are being sold to investors – pushing up prices even further. The party argues that the Mayor’s strategy of marketing new properties to rich investors is completely inappropriate for a city where the median house price is now three times the affordable limit for the average household.

EMERGENCY PUBLIC MEETING: MORE FLOODS, MORE FUEL POVERTY?

ENERGY CRISIS, CLIMATE CRISIS – WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

Emergency public meeting organised by Brent Campaign Against Climate Change and Brent Friends of the Earth. Supported by Brent Housing Action, Brent Trades Union Council and Brent Fightback. Speakers: Sophie Neuburg (Friends of the Earth), Ewa Jasiewicz (Fuel Poverty Action), Pilgrim Tucker (Unite Community), Suzanne Jeffery (One Million Climate Jobs Campaign)

Thursday 20 February, 7.30 pm, Chalkhill Primary School Sports Hall, Anton Place,  Bowater Road (off Chalkhill Road), Wembley Park. Free admission – all welcome.

Wembley Park Tube or buses: 83, 182, 245, 297

 

Solution in sight for dangerous Harrow Road junction?

Guest blog from Kensal Triangle Residents' Association who appear closer to a solution that they began to campaign about in February 2008. (pic from Kilburn Times above) Six years on a solution may be in sight.
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On Friday 7th February representatives from Transport for London, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and Brent councils, West One ( the infrastructure management company employed by Westminster Council to manage its traffic planning) and Kensal Triangle Residents Association joined in a meeting kindly organised  and hosted by Fr David Ackerman for a meeting at St John's Vicarage to discuss the Harrow Road /Ladbroke Grove crossing. 

This brought together professionals and locals to address the need for immediate action. The campaign for the provision of safe pedestrian crossing facility has been going for nearly eight years now, and the meeting was arranged to give updates on plans formulated by West One as a result of the last round of surveys. 

The meeting proved to be positive on all counts.  It was agreed by all that the attempt to improve the situation by providing wider refuges in the middle of each arm of the junction had not worked at all. West One, in conjunction with TfL are now recommending to all parties that a system be installed with a phase where all vehicle traffic is stopped at the junction to allow a pedestrian crossing phase with the traditional ‘green man’light – an All Red Phase.  This will allow pedestrians enough time to cross any one arm of the junction.  (it was not proposed to encourage crossing diagonally over the junction as is the case at Oxford Circus)  

There will also be consideration of lane confusion, signage and the hold-ups on Kilburn Lane.

West One needs to consult with the two other councils to ensure that this solution us agreed by all parties, and further modelling needs to be done to ensure that congestion will not be increased by the new scheme, but the overall message was that positive and effective action is being taken  to make the junction safer for pedestrians and drivers. 

West One could not give a precise timetable for implementation for the plan, but hoped to finish the modelling by the end of March, and installation of the new lights by the end of 2014.

The meeting was also notable for its focus on a solution, and Fr David was glad to host a meeting that brought together the most important people who can affect change.  It was extremely helpful and positive to have a meeting so close to the junction concerned, where everyone could see the scale of the problem.

The Green Party's 10 measures on flood resilience & tackling causes

The Green Party – Ten measures to improve the UK’s flood resilience, and to address the underlying causes of flooding

1. Reverse staff cuts at the Environment Agency (EA), increase its budget, and drop plans to impose a duty on it to consider economic growth, which could get in the way of providing independent expert advice

2. Strengthen planning rules for urban and rural areas to prevent further development on flood plains and ensure developers prioritise flood resilience and prevention – including through incorporation of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) in new developments as well as a programme of retrofitting SUDS to existing communities. Ensure better transparency of decisions so public can hold decision makers accountable

3. Get rid of any cabinet Ministers or senior governmental advisors who refuse to accept the scientific consensus on climate change or who won’t take the risks to the UK seriously

4. Increase spending on flood defences to a level in line with expert recommendations from the EA and the Climate Change Committee (CCC), change the cost benefit ratios required for projects to go ahead, and simplify the process for local authorities to apply

5. Rethink land management policies to encourage the storage of water in upland areas, and make flood prevention is a non-negotiable condition of all farm subsidies

6. Improve UK’s future resilience:  Adopt proposals[i][i] for the immediate creation of a new Cabinet-level committee on infrastructure and climate change resilience, and a Royal Commission to set out the long-term impacts of climate change on land[ii][ii], making  detailed recommendations as to the necessary institutional, funding and policy responses

7. Start paying attention to advice from the Met Office and the CCC that climate change will lead to even more such events in the future.  

8. As called for by Platform London and other campaigners[iii][iii], redirect the billions of UK fossil fuel subsidies and tax breaks into assisting the victims of flooding.  This would free up money to address the underspend and assist the victims of flooding, as well as putting a halt to public money exacerbating the problem of climate change that is making the floods so much worse.

9. Tackle the undue influence of big business in Whitehall and Westminster – end the revolving door between the fossil fuel industry and government

10. Step up the UK’s action on climate change, for example by committing to a binding EU-target on renewables.

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[i][i] http://www.tcpa.org.uk/resources.php?action=resource&id=1182

[ii][ii] http://www.tcpa.org.uk/resources.php?action=resource&id=1182

[iii][iii] https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/cut-fossil-fuel-subsidies-not-foreign-aid-for-flood-victims-relief

Ministers who won’t act on climate evidence must go, says Green Party

Source BBC

The UK’s response to the flooding crisis must centre on a long-term strategy to address climate change the Green Party says today, as it recommends a series of ten measures to improve the country’s flood resilience in future.

It says sustained political action on climate change is crucial to reducing the risk of severe flooding happening again.

The Party is calling for Environment Secretary Owen Paterson to be sacked and for the Prime Minister to remove Cabinet Ministers and senior government officials who refuse to accept the scientific consensus on climate change (1). The Met Office has said (2) all the evidence points to climate change contributing to these extraordinary floods.

“Politicians who ride roughshod over the painstaking findings of climate scientists (3), sometimes motivated by their inappropriately close links to fossil fuel big business, endanger our future and our children’s future”, said Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett. 

“It’s a crying shame more of the recommendations made by the The Pitt Review into the 2007 floods (4) haven’t been taken seriously by Labour, the Tories, and their Coalition government lackeys in the Lib Dem Party. But it is not too late for action.”

 Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, said:

“Across the country, homes and businesses are being devastated by the floods, and our hearts go out to everyone whose life is being turned upside down.  Nature is giving us another wake-up call.

“In addition to making sure everything possible is done to help people affected by the immediate crisis, we need a credible long term strategy to tackle the risk of flooding and extreme weather to people's homes and liveilihoods in the future.”  

The call to government urges ministers to adopt the recommendations of a major independent cross sector coalition[1]  for  a Cabinet-level committee on infrastructure and climate change resilience and a Royal Commission on the long-term impacts of climate change on land.

The Green Party is also calling for all staff cuts at the Environment Agency to be cancelled, planning rules to be strengthened to prevent further development on flood plains, and for increased levels of spending on flood defences to a level in line with expert recommendations from the Environment Agency and the Climate Change Committee.

And it is supporting the call of campaigners for  the billions of UK fossil fuel subsidies and tax breaks to be used to help the victims of flooding[2]. 

“This redirection will address the underspend and assist the victims of flooding, as well as putting a halt to public money exacerbating the problem of climate change that is making the floods so much worse”, noted Bennett.

Notes

1)    International Panel on Climate Change Climate Change 2013 Report http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/#.UvuRuf3RozU

2)    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26084625

3)    http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/#.UvuRuf3RozU

4)    Pitt Report on floods: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7472813.stm

 

Leading environmentalist denounces Brent Council in resignation letter

Francis Henry, who has voluntarily supported the Brent Sustainability Forum, latterly as chair,for 6 years has resigned in protest at the sacking of one of the key environmental officers at Brent Council.

He has called on other members of the Forum to join him in  resigning and to consider making the forum website LINK independent of the council.

His letter to acting Chief Executive Christine Gilbert says:

CONSTRUCTIVE DISMISSAL  MARION HOFMANN

I  have been the Vice Chair initially and subsequently the Chair of the Brent Sustainability Forum (BSF) since 2008.

Together with others we have worked hard to help Brent Council to deliver on important environmental issues. We always had great support from Marion who was truly dedicated to the cause.

I and others are appalled how Brent Council and your senior officers have treated one of our colleagues who has contributed so much to public engagement and the promotion of environmental issues.

It would seem that as an organisation Brent Council and some of your officers in Environmental Services will do everything possible to get rid of good and trusted officers who understand how to work with local people and who are truly committed to the cause.

I am so disgusted by the conduct of Brent Council and the conduct of your senior officers that I am resigning as Chair of Brent Sustainability Forum and ceasing my involvement with anything involving your Council.

You and the whole Council should be ashamed in the way you treat your valued members of staff who have the trust and respect of the local community.

Greens back STEM 6 free school strike

 

Pic: Jenny Leow

 Statement from Islington Green Party

Teachers are on strike this week at the STEM 6 Academy, a newly opened free school on City Road, for students aged 16 -18 wanting to specialise in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

Teachers were individually coerced into signing harsh contracts before Christmas and now wish to obtain union recognition in order to re-negotiate these contracts. The contracts allow teachers to be laid off without notice - effectively a zero hours system - pay increases at management discretion only, and many more oppressive conditions.

Islington Green Party has no hesitation in supporting these teachers. The privatisation of our schooling system is having disastrous results in both losing local democratic involvement and harming the rights of those who work in these private schools. Even academic results are not expected to be an improvement on community-state run schools as demonstrated from a similar politically-driven experiment in Sweden.

Zero hours contracts are a pernicious ploy to help employers avoid paying a reliable living wage, and leave employees uncertain how much they will earn even from week to week. Such contracts are unattractive in any sector but seem particularly inappropriate for education where outcomes for the students depend on committed and confident teachers.

Teachers are professionals and deserve to be treated as such. This would not only benefit the teachers themselves but also the students, their future employers, and the wider community.

Moberly Sports Centre proposals available for comment

The future of the Jubilee and Moberly Sports Centre on the borders of Brent and Westminster have been the subject of much debate.Kensal Triangle Residents have said because so many different views have been expressed they will remain neutral.

Follow this link to see the Kilburn Times  report on the proposals:  LINK

However the KTRA have issued this guide:

Go to the Planning Application by clicking on this LINK

When you comment on the application remember to State 'Object', 'Support' or 'Comment'. At the time of writing of the on-line returns there were 22 Objecting, 9 Supporting and the rest were Comments.

Because of a delay due to an independent financial assessment of the scheme comments can by made up until the end of March,