Possible Labour abstentions on 25% allowance increase tomorrow

I understand that several Labour councillors are considering abstaining when the report giving them a 25% increase on their basic allowance, bringing it up to £10,000 annually, is tabled at Full Council tomorrow.

The rise, coming as it does at an embarrassing time, and attacked by Labour Party activist Graham Durham, has caused much discussion in the group, with even some Cabinet members having qualms.

An alternative, suggested by some, is voting for the increase but them donating it to Brent charities that help those most impacted by Coalition welfare reforms.

Young Greens launch campaign to get young people organised

The Young Greens today launched their latest campaign 'Get Organised! Getting a new generation organised and unionised!' at a joint workshop with the Green Party Trade Union Group.

Speakers from the RMT, NUS, the Students' Assembly and the Green Party discussed the benefits of trade union membership and the need to convey these benefits to young people.

The RMT Young Members' group were keen to get into schools to talk to pupils about this as a part of citizenship education but had found schools resistant. I suggested that theatre in education, based on actual events such as the Grunwicks strike, could be a stimulating way of doing this.

There was also a discussion on reviving  the idea of  a School Students' Union  (something similar existed in the 70s)  that could give  school students experience of collective organisation and negotiation.

Greens strengthening links with trade unions

The NUT, RMT and PCS trade unions all have stalls at the Green Party conference this weekend. Max Hyde, President of the NUT , spoke at a fringe meeting organised by  the Union today, with Natalie Bennett  and Richard Hatcher guest speakers.

With the NUT's manifesto for  children's education 'Stand Up for Education' distributed, hot off the presses to a packed room, it soon became clear that the NUT and Green Party have much in common on education policies.

Both want an end to 'sausage factory' schooling and the dominance of testing, every teacher to be qualified,  restoration of LA powers to build new schools, an end to the fragmenting of the education system, halt to privatisation of education  and are opposed to performance related pay.

Tomorrow there will be a PCS speaker at a fringe on fuel poverty, the Big SIx power companies, and fracking.

There is an active Green Party Trade Union Group and a Trade Union Liaison Officer post was created last year. Both are busy building  links not just with national leaders of the unions but with  rank and file members.

The  policies of the Labour Party increasingly appear insipid in contrast to the strong anti-austerity social justice stance of the Greens.

I hope that our links and solidarity with trade unions will continue to strengthen ahead of the General election. As Max Hyde and Natalie Bennett both said, we won't agree on everything, but we are allies in the struggle.

Palestine: Greens support BDS and call for halt to military co-operation with Israel

This is the emergency motion passed with an overwhelming majority at the Green  Party Conference yesterday.

Conference condemns Israel's ground invasion, ariel and marine bombing of Gaza, and calls on Green Party members and Green Party elected representatives to take what steps they can to put existing Green Party policy into action and to ensure that the underlying causes are addressed, acknowledging there can be no lasting peace without justice.

Such steps include:

-  Reiterating our calls on the UN, the EU and the US government to ensure that Israel complies with international law

-  Supporting these calls by active participation in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. This campaign aims to put pressure on the government of Israel to end the Occupation and to give equal rights to Palestinians. The campaign asks individuals, organisations, councils and governments to refuse to deal with companies and institutions identified as facilitating Israel's military capacity, human rights abuses or illegal settlement activity

- In particular to demand the UK government halts all joint Israeli/UK military co-operation and approval for all arms sales to Israel.

Greens show why they are different on the first day of conference

The Green Party Conference assembled in confident mood yesterday with membership growing, especially amongst young people and the party polling at its highest in recent times.

Natalie Bennett made a speech extolling the Green Party's vision of a socially,economically and environmentally just society and contrasted this with the neoliberalism  of the other parties. She was particularly scathing about the Labour Party and set out policies far too the left of that party.

Her speech can be read in full here: http://greenparty.org.uk/news/2014/09/05/natalie-bennetts-green-party-autumn-conference-speech-%28full-text%29/

In true Green Party fashion a particularly tricky debate, with lots of procedural motions, on issues of local party autonomy, was skillfully handled by a chair who while dealing with points of order was suckling her contented baby.

An emergency motion on Gaza was overwhelmingly carried. It called on the membership to get active supporting boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns and opposing arms sales to Israel.

Although it was clear that an amendment to today's Energy motion, which would commit the party to supporting nuclear power, had very little support, Conference rejected attempts to have the amendment ruled out of order. It was seen as a victory for democracy rather than for the pro-nuclear position.

Central Middlesex A&E Closure and the Pupil Premium under Scrutiny next week

There was considerable concern at the recent Health consultation at Bridge Park In Stonebridge, over the closure of Central Middlesex A&E and particularly about whether replacement facilities will be ready. There was also concern about the recent Requiring Improvement judgement on the Northwick Park A&E while Central Middlesex A&E received a 'Good'. The A&E closes on September 10th and a demonstration is scheduled to take place to mark its demise.

The Brent Council Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on September  9th, the day before the closure, will be questioning the professionals concerned.

The Agenda states: 

The Scrutiny Committee will receive an up-date on the arrangements in place for the closure of the A&E unit at Central Middlesex Hospital, and Brent changes to related services, to ensure a high quality of health care is accessible to residents.  This will reflect recent concerns raised following  Care Quality Commission inspections at Northwick Park Hospital.  Senior Representatives from the Northwest London Hospital Trust and the Clinical Commissioing Group will be at the meeting to answer questions.

After its widely criticised lack lustre perfomance at its first meeting, the Scrutiny Committee is reportedly determined to up its game.

At the same meeting a Pupil Premium Task Force will be set up. Task Forces, with a specific remit, are one of the ways the Commmittee will carry outs its work.    The Pupil Premium is the extra money schools get for enhancing the educational opportunities for disadvantaged pupils and now forms  a substantial part of the budget of many Brent Schools.

The purpose of the task group will be to focus on analysing the current use of the Pupil Premium Grant, the outcomes which are being achieved in comparison with national performance and to promote best practise.

This will include:

• How eligible pupils in Brent have been performing since the premium was introduced

• How schools in Brent have been spending, managing and monitoring the Pupil Premium

• The possible lack of correlation between schools with the highest number of eligible pupils and the schools making best use of the PPG

• Identifying good practices in Brent schools, across the UK and learning from national organisation such as the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)

• How could schools in Brent spend the premium more effectively to raise pupil attainment

• The Future of the Pupil Premium in Brent - future funding, changes for September 2014

It will be interesting to see who is on the Task Force and whether the Scrutiny Committee goes out to teachers, parents and pupils for members of the force. It would be too easy also to just see things in terms of extra 'booster classes' rather than the enrichment activities that some schools have found really increase children's enjoyment, motivation, confidence and thus their achievement.

Brent Council reported to intend to rent out space commercially at new Willesden Cultural Centre instead of providing a One Stop Shop

A Brent Council officer told a recent meeting of the Willesden Green Town Meeting that there would be no One Stop Shop at the new Willesden Cultural Centre.  Instead the Council would be looking for a commercial tenant for the space.

This follows the Council's decision to let two floors of the Civic Centre to Air Francis and squeeze Brent staff into the remaining space.

During the controversial planning application process for the WG Cultural Centre the Council made great play of the benefit to the community that would accrue from the development of unafffordable private flats (later sold on the Singapore market). The developement would finance the Cultural Centre and the One Stop Shop, along with council offices to serve the local area and this  out-weighed the loss of the old library, car park and open space according to  ex Executive member Cllr George Crane, then lead member for Regeneration and Major Projects.

This is an extract from Andy Donald's (Director Regeneneration and Major Projects) report:

4.6 The Council is currently driven by the overarching concept of One Council. This aims to provide excellent public services and deliver these in the most efficient way but also to build strong relationships and better communications between the Council and citizens ensuring local priorities are addressed and that local potential is nurtured. A redeveloped WGLC will play an important role in this strategy supporting both the One Council Library Transformation Project and the One Council Future Customer Service Project.

4.8 The Future Customer Service Project aims to improve efficiency and clarity of the services offered to citizens. The strategy is dependent on developing a new customer contact centre at WGLC providing a service for the south of the borough, an area where many of the Council‟s high need customers reside.

The Council appeared to have been driven, through the Council's budget crisis caused by Coalition cuts, to reneage on its promises to local people, especially those who formed the Keep Willesden Green campaign.

Residents were angry and asked if the Council intended to put these changes to what was supposed to be a local amenity to further consultation.

I understand that Andy Donald has replied that no decision on customer services at the Cultural Centre has been made but 'the Council’s cabinet will be considering a report in October in respect of the overall approach to customer access for the Council as a whole, which will then inform the shape of the customer access offer at the Civic Centre and Willesden going forward.'

He has promised that residents will be informed about any proposals as part of the dialogue over the use of the  new building.

Clearly an issue that residents will be monitoring.

Meanwhile someone who lives on the front line of the development told me earlier this week that a construction worker on site had told her that the open space between the flats and the Cultural Centre, offered in compensation for the lost open space in front of the 1980s library, was just going to be an 'ordinary road'.

I would be interested if anyone else had heard this.

Ledden claims Brent Council tweeted in 'error' to 8,000 followers inviting them to speak at Monday's Full Council meeting - then bars Martin Francis from speaking

Regular reader will know about the issues around democracy and Brent Council (refresher course: LINK ) and these came to a ahead wsith the Labour landslide  with proposals to limit questions to the Cabinet and have just one 'super' Scrutiny Committee. At the same time Muhammed Butt tried to get a change in rules which would have meant the Labour leadership only being contested every four years.

A concession made to the public was that they would be allowed to address full Council.

On Friday August 29th Brent Council sent out this tweet: (Screen grab)

Clear enough you might think and having posted about the opportunity on this blog and on Facebook I sent in a request on Monday morning to have a deputation on the issue of the appointment of a Permanent Chief Executive.

The previous adminstration had accepted a report from Fional Ledden (Chief Legal Officer) to continue with Acting Chief Executive, Christine Gilbert's acting appointment until after the May 2014 local elections. According to Ledden this was in order to ensure a smooth transfer to the Civic Centre, continuity during the election and because market conditions were not right for recruitment.

The then Liberal Democrat opposition had opposed this and called for an open and transparent recruitment process. LINK

I was surprised to receive a belated response from Fiona Ledden refusing my request as it had not been received by the  'deadline of August 29th'.

I replied (attaching the screen grab of the Tweet):

Thank you for your letter informing me that I cannot have a deputation to Full Council because my email was sent on Monday September 1st and the deadline was Friday August 29th.

I sent my email in response to a Tweet from Brent Council which quite clearly stated that the deadline was Noon on Monday September 1st. The Tweet was sent out by the Council on August 29th.

I therefore repeat my request to speak to full Council on the issue of appointing a Permanent Chief Executive.

I received the following letter  from Fiona Ledden in response:

Thank you for your email in response to my letter. 

Please accept our apologies for the confusion. The Tweet you refer to was published in error and this is something I shall follow up. 

I refer you to Standing Order 39 in Part 3 of the Council’s Constitution “Any person wishing to make a deputation shall give written notice to the Director of Legal and Procurement of the title and summary of the content of the deputation not less than 5 days before the date of the meeting”. The deadline for deputations was 29 August 2014. 

As stated in my original response to your email, you will receive a written response to your question in due course.

Brent Council has about 8,000 followers, some of whom will have retweeted the notice, so that is some error!

I am used to Fiona Ledden's method when challenged, she basically seeks to grind you down and then eventually close down any correspondence.  There are several guest blogs on Wembley Matters that testify to this method.

Undaunted I replied again this morning:

Dear Ms Ledden,

I am afraid that i am not satisfied with your response.  An invitation that went out to almost 8,000 followers of Brent Council on Twitter, and was then further distributed by some of them, cannot simply be dismissed as an 'error'.

Furthermore even the 5 day's notice in Standing Orders does not say '5 working days'.  Even if we take that to be what is meant, a deadline of Noon on Monday would give 5-1/2 days between the deadline and the evening meeting on September 8th. That is Monday afternoon, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and the following Monday.

I therefore ask you to reconsider my request to speak as a delegation to the Full Council on September 8th on the issue of appointment of a permanent Chief Executive.

 You may not be surprised to learn that I have had no reply.  

If Muhammed Butt and his Cabinet were genuine in their commitment to give the public a voice in representation and decision making, it seems that their desires are being thwarted.

In the Standing Orders approved by the Council at their first meeting Fiona Ledden granted some fairly draconian powers over selecting delegations to speak at full Council meetings. No one from any party questioned these powers although they were commented on here:

Any deputation must directly concern a matter affecting the borough and relate to a Council function. Deputations shall not relate to legal proceedings or be a matter which is or has been the subject of a complaint under the Council’s complaints processes. Nor should a deputation be frivolous, vexatious, or defamatory. The Director of Legal and Procurement shall have discretion to decide whether the deputation is for any other reason inappropriate and cannot proceed.

So if I complain the issue will get caught up in the complaints procedure and therefore cannot be raised by me or anyone else.  If I make a fuss then it could be labelled vexatious. And if I suggest that perhaps something is being hidden or avoided, or someone being protected, then that could be defamatory.

If all else fails then Ms Ledden can refuse the deputation on the the grounds that it is inappropriate for 'any other reason'.

Regular readers will remember that Ms Ledden wrote to  Wembley Matters 'requring' us to remove documentation about the Audit and Investigation team's report on allegations against Brent's Acting Head of Human Resources LINK We refused to comply on grounds of public interest.

Is there any councillor out there who will stand up and question this nonsense?