Hampstead & Kilburn Labour calls for economic sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements

Hampstead and Kilburn Labour Party passed the following resolution on Tuesday. It was considered for submission to the Labour Party Conference but lost out on two other motions on the recent rise in anti Semitic incidents and the NHS. The NHS motion will go to Conference.

Israeli-Palestinian relations

Conference welcomes the Egyptian brokered ceasefire of 26^th August 2014 that brought to an end to fighting in Gaza.

Conference is alarmed by Israeli TV reports on 1^st September 2014 Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that Israel would not be sending a delegation to Cairo to participate in further negotiations over the reconstruction of Gaza’s air and sea ports and the demilitarization of the area as stipulated in the ceasefire conditions.

Conference also notes that on Sunday 31^st August Israel announced the expropriation of almost 1000 acres of Palestinian privately-owned land, their declaration as state land and the intention to build the largest Israeli settlement on the land, being contrary not only to international but also Israeli law.

Conference suggests that this is an indication that the present government of Israel is not genuinely interested in a two state solution, despite surveys of the Israeli and Palestinian publics consistently showing majorities in favour of such an outcome.

Conference further notes that while past announcements of a similar nature have been condemned, deplored, described as unconstructive and harmful to a two state solution by the UN, the EU, the White House and UK government, the expansion of illegal settlement activity has continued, leaving the goal of a peaceful two state solution hanging by an ever thinner thread.

Conference therefore believes that these illegal settlements should be subject to not merely political censure but also economic sanction and that all commercial activity with them should be as illegal as the settlements themselves and therefore banned by a future Labour government.

Our West Hendon takes on pan-London gentrification this Saturday

Readers will remember Save The Welsh Harp, the campaign to stop Barratts building tower bocks on the banks of the Welsh Harp which had been occupied by the West Hendon Social Housing Estate. LINK

Barnet Coucil and Boris Johnson approved the scheme despite widespread oppositon and now tenants are being forced out.

This message is from Our West Hendon:

Our West Hendon are running out of time. Non-secure tenants are rapidly being forced out of their communities and Barratts has refused to negotiate 'like for like' settlements with the leaseholders.

Private tenants face yet another move and secure tenants are reluctantly due to be moved into the new but massively inferior builds. It appears the only way to deal with the council and the developers is now to take direct action. Please join us in solidarity this Saturday 13th from 7am-1pm at Marsh Drive Community Centre NW9 7QE.

We know the only way to stop this pan-London gentrification is if all affected communities now come together. Alone we are few, together we are many!

Rugby statue to be erected at Wembley Stadium to match Bobby Moore

Association football has Bobby Moore, so who will rugby have?   Brent Council has given planning permission for a  Rugby Football League statute to be erected at Wembley Stadium:

The application proposes the erection of a statue, to the north-eastern side of the outer stadium pedestrian concourse. This is a joint venture between Wembley National Stadium Limited (WNSL) and Rugby Football League (RFL).

The application seeks consent for a statue of a certain size at this stage. The detailed design is to be unveiled at a later date, though the submission does specify this to be a bronze statue place on a steel base, also that it is to be Rugby Football League themed and a tribute to the sport

The plinth would be 1.5m high and the statue itself 3.3m, making a total 4.8m from ground level. 

London Assembly backs Generation Rent manifesto

The world is their Oyster - publicity for  MIPIM

From Generation Rent LINK

London Assembly members voted this afternoon to back Generation Rent's Manifesto. This is a fantastic endorsement of the work we are doing from politicians in the heart of the country's housing crisis.

Two million people - a quarter of the London population - rents from a private landlord, and the unaffordability, poor conditions and insecurity of tenure are all high on the agenda. A poll from the Association of Residential Letting Agents today said that 43% of London's renters have had reservations about their landlord or letting agent on day one of their tenancy.

Darren Johnson AM, Green Party chairman of the housing committee, proposed the motion, which was seconded by Labour's Tom Copley AM, and passed after a debate in City Hall (available on this link).

“This Assembly welcomes the 'Renters manifesto' published by Generation Rent, which would bring considerable improvements to the lives of one in four households in London living in the private rented sector.

“The Assembly reaffirms its support for a number of Generation Rent's recommendations, which the Assembly put forward in its 'Rent reform' report in June 2013, including policies to stabilise rents, introduce longer tenancies and end retaliatory evictions.

“This Assembly supports further measures proposed by Generation Rent, including:

• longer notice periods for tenants who have lived in a home for a number of years
• banning letting agent fees
• closing loopholes on deposit protection schemes
• increasing the Rent a Room tax allowance
• scaling up the Community Land Trust model to create a large, secondary housing market affordable to Londoners

This Assembly also notes with regret the Mayor’s continued involvement with international property fairs such as MIPIM. His support for rich investors to build expensive flats for rich owners and landlords, who in turn let homes on insecure contracts in a dysfunctional rental market, is not providing for the needs of ordinary Londoners.

This Assembly therefore calls on the Mayor to set out his response to the 'Renters manifesto', to consider piloting some of the recommendations in his Housing Zones, and to require its implementation in any deals made at MIPIM.”

We'll be looking forward to Boris Johnson's response. 

Comment from Wembley Matters.  The  next four day MIPIM will be held in Cannes in March and costs 1490 Euros for each delegate plus accommodation. Brent's Director of Regeneration and Major Projects, Andy Donald, has been an attender in the past. LINK

STOP PRESS: Michaela Free School announces 'Umbrellas are acceptable' but watch out for the shoes and haircuts

The Michaela Free School still looked like a building site today but the school's website, in a not terribly friendly announcement, says pupils will start on Monday:

School Starts at 11am Monday 15^th September

Parents’ Evening is at 5pm Wednesday 17^th September

Parental Interviews Cancelled

1.School uniform: All pupils are expected in full school uniform on the first day of school: Monday 15 September at 11am.

2.Shoes should be plain, black, flat and logo-free. Be very traditional in your choice of shoe. Please avoid anything that looks like a black trainer. If in doubt send us a photograph of the shoes BEFORE buying.

3.Boots are not acceptable for school. Sturdy traditional school shoes with a good tread, suitable for winter, are advised.

4.PE Trainers, the colour and style are up to you. And yes, inevitably, trainers will have logos. They must be suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

5.Umbrellas are acceptable. These should be plain, in black or navy blue and in a telescopic style. Umbrellas must be small enough that, when closed and collapsed, they fit into the standard school bag.

6.Haircuts & Jewellery: All haircuts must comply with school policy for Monday 15th September. No make-up or jewellery is allowed. This includes stud earrings.

7.Free School Meals: If you’re already registered with Brent as eligible for free school meals that should automatically continue. If concerned contact us and we’ll check on our list.

8.Food: High quality food is prepared on site. There will be a range of options, including fish and vegetarian choices so all religious groups are treated fairly and equally.

9.Paying for food: Please send your child to school on Monday 15th with a cheque for either £159.50 for the term or £77 for the half term, made payable to Michaela Community School. Please write your child’s FULL NAME and DATE OF BIRTH on the back of your cheque.

10.Oyster Zip cards: All parents should apply for these as soon as possible. The application says that a stamp or signature from the school is required. We have checked with TFL and we are advised that this is NOT essential.

Yuppification is the name of the game, Brent Regeneration's aim is the same

OK, I go on about Quintain's failure to build the much needed and much promised affordable housing in their regeneration project around Wembley Stadium, but this really is a slap in the face for local residents.

Vulnerable children may be shipped out of Brent for schooling as Council closes Primary PRU at 3 week's notice

As the Scrutiny Committee discussed setting up a Task Group to investigate how the Pupil Premium, ear-marked funds for disadvantaged children, are used in Brent schools last night, they were leafleted by staff who care passionately for an arguably even more disadvantaged group who are about to be shipped out of the borough.

The Primary Pupil Referral Unit currently housed at Ashley Gardens is for children excluded from mainstream school.  The classrooms were previously used as temporary accommodation for the primary unit of Preston Manor All-through School.

The Primary Unit came about after the Key Stage 2 (7-11 year olds)  PRU in Stonebridge was closed down at the end of Spring Term 2014 as no longer necessary. Within weeks, there were already 6 excluded children at Key Stage 1 (5-7 year olds) and Key Stage 2 in need of education. The Ashley Gardens facility was set up for them and high quality, experienced staff were recruited on the understanding that the unit would continue through the current academic year.

Brent's Primary EBD(Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties) school, Vernon House, closed some time ago and a new school opened in its place for chidlren on the autistic spectrum.

The authority has said that the classrooms are needed for children without a school place, despite Preston Park Primary having expanded, the new primary school at Preston Manor and a four form entry primary school being built at Wembley High.

Most of the Ashley Gardens children will be placed at the Family School London, in Kings Cross. This is a free school being opened by the Anna Freud Centre, with home to school transport provided for each child.

On Thursday of last week Ashley Gardens staff were told that the Unit would close by the end of this month.

Staff have major concerns about the closure decision and the way it is being implemented. This is what they said:

1. The time scale for closure is extremely rushed and risks causing unnecessary distress to children and their families.

These are amongst the most vulnerable and emotionally challenged children within our education system. Three weeks does not give us proper time to prepare them for this major change. we have an excellent team who have worked very hard to build up relationships of trust with the children and their families and the children are now settled and beginning to thrive in the unit.

We are concerned that this hasty decision, driven it seems more by the borough's need for our accommodation than by the needs of the children, will cause unnecessary emotional trauma to children who have already had more than their fair share.

2. There has been no consultation on this decision with the staff of the unit, including the Teacher-In-Charge, nor more senior staff within the Inclusion Service, and no individual case-by-case review to assess whether the provision at the Anna Freud Family School is appropriate for all the children who will be placed there.

3. We understand the longer term policy is to provide support for chidlren at risk of exclusion with the Brent School's Partnership, with the aim of preventing exclusions. This provision is still not in place. Where will any excluded chidlren be taught and supported in the meantime? This is exactly the situation that led to the formation of the unit at Ashley Gardens.

4. What about children who are excluded in spite of all the best efforts of the new provision? The Family School has only 4 places available this year in each key stage, and 4 more available next year and demand could come from anywhere across London.

The Ashley Gardens staff make a strong and professional case which clearly has the interests of vulnerable chidlren at its heart.

Brent Council's commitment to social inclusion means that there should be proper consultation with teachers, parents and professional agencies in such a situation, and at the very least a thorough Equalities Impact Assessment should be carried out.

None of this has happened and until it does, and the resulting report has been discussed and adopted by Cabinet, the closure should be suspended.

I would add a further concern about children being bussed out of the borough. They are already excluded from mainstream schools and will be further excluded by being educated far away from their home community.

I get to speak to a Brent Council meeting!

For the record. after the Full Council deputation debacle that required 5 full working days notice for a deputation, I emailed Brent Council last night at 2 minutes to 5 asking to speak at Scrutiny Committee that evening.  Scrutiny begins at 7pm.

I was granted permission by the Chair  and spoke to the Committee about the Task Force being set up to investigate the use of the Pupil Premium in Brent schools.

All a bit mystifying.