Natalie Bennett explains Green Party policy on education

Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green party, spoke yesterday at a meeting of the Anti Academies Alliance on Green Party policy. My apologies for the jerkiness of the video at the beginning.

Natalie Bennett to debate Green Party Education Policy ahead of the General Election

Natalie Bennett will be speaking on Saturday at a meeting on 'Education and the election - a discussion meeting about education policy' ahead of the General Election.

Cllr Peter Downes will be speaking on behalf of the Liberal Democrats and Cllr Emine Ibrahim for Labour.

Natasha Steel will be speaking from the Hove Park Campaign which successfully defeated academisation plans.

Education and the Election – which way forward for education?
Saturday 11th October 2-4 pm
Open Meeting ALL Welcome
Senate House, Malet St, London WC1E 7HU

Organised by the Anti Academies Alliance

Green Party Education Policy LINK

Pavey Review won't address the real issues at Brent Council

On Tuesday Brent Council issued a statement expanding on the Pavey Review of Human Resources at Brent Council following the Employment Tribunal.  I reproduce it below for your information.

I am afraid that the review completely fails to recognise and address the seriousness of the allegations about the conduct of HR in Brent Council and the evidence in the Employment Tribunal papers. It does not encompass the wider problem of apparent collusion by senior council officers in that conduct.

The Pavey Review is unsatisfactory because:

1. It will be conducted while staff remain in fear of victimisation and bullying and their eventual loss of job as a result of revealing what is going on inside the Council. At the very least the senior staff concerned should be suspended (a neutral act) while the review takes place. The emails and phone calls I have had from Brent staff as a result of Wembley Matters' coverage of the issue leave me in no doubt that current staff will need a lot of persuading to speak openly. There is also the question of staff who have left and the gagging clauses imposed by HR as well as HR's ban on staff (on pain of dismissal) speaking to elected councillors about employment issues.

2. Michael Pavey is very close to Muhammed Butt, leader of the Council.  Cllr Butt has been alleged to be the 'prisoner' of members of the Corporate Management Team as a result of the machinations that took place over the sacking and replacement of previous Chief Executive Gareth Daniel.  Pavey has said he sees his role in the Council as backing Muhammed Butt's leadership and has excelled at this since his appointment in the role. It is doubtful whether he will produce any findings that are critical of Butt's leadership.

3. Michael Pavey as well as being Deputy Leader is lead member responsible for  Council as Employer, Legal Service, Complaints and Equalities. At least three of those areas of which he is in charge are those that have failed to some extent according to the Employment Tribunal and its accompanying evidence.  In effect Pavey will be investigating the effectiveness of his own oversight of these departments.

4. The last sentence of the Council statement appears to preempt the outcome of the investigation by assuming that the result will be in the form of 'individual action plans'. If the problem is systemic then there has to be action at that level.

In the light of the above the appointment of an independent investigator, acceptable to both sides, is still the only viable option if the aim is to get to the root of the problem.

BRENT COUNCIL STATEMENT

A review of Brent Council's HR and equalities practice and procedures is set to be spearheaded by Councillor Michael Pavey, Deputy Leader of the Council, in light of the recent employment tribunal.
The review aims to identify where improvements can be made and ensure that appropriate action plans are developed and delivered. The review will include a comprehensive survey of all HR and equalities policies and procedures and will ensure that a diverse range of views and perspectives are considered.

Advice from external experts will be sought and the review will look to learn from best practice at other local authorities.

Councillor Pavey says: “The diverse nature of Brent Council’s workforce is one of our core strengths and, importantly, is reflective of the diversity of local people. Therefore, it is vital that we shine a light on our existing policies and procedures to ensure that we constantly strive for best practice to support people of all backgrounds to achieve their full potential.

“I am committed to leading a full and detailed review to determine where improvements can be made. I will be working closely with colleagues inside the council and external experts to achieve this and will ensure there is involvement from members of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities throughout the process.”

The first draft of the report is scheduled for December 2014, with a commitment to the delivery and implementation of individual action plans in January 2015.

Cllr Muhammed Butt gets a 2 year term taking him through to 2016

How does Brent Council resemble a pint of Guinness?

Despite a long and sometimes heated discussion nothing much seems to have emerged from the Labour Group discussion on Monday evening.

A compromise was reached on  the issue of annual elections to the leadership and cabinet. Muhammed Butt wanted elections every 4 years and others wanted to keep automatic annual elections.

It was agreed that leader and cabinet would be elected every two years and other posts would remain annual with an automatic trigger.

That makes Cllr Butt and his Cabiner safe until 2016

Protest Against MIPIM: Housing for People Not For Profit

Andy Donald, Brent's Director of Regeneration and Major projects, has been a delegate to MIPIM at its Cannes meetings where he shared his thinking about development and regeneration - we can see the results of that thinking in Brent today. LINK

This year MIPIM  is coming to London.

The description under this videa reads:

The world’s largest property fair, known as MIPIM, is coming to London for the first time in its 25-year history. Hundreds of property developers, financiers and politicians will be welcomed by the Mayor of London when they converge on Olympia to do deals that allow them to profit from our land and our neighbourhoods.

This is creating unaffordable, insecure housing and contributing to the corporate takeover of our community space and public services. It means big profits for the richest 1% whilst destroying our communities and keeping millions in poverty.

We don't need more luxury housing, office blocks and shopping centres. We don't want our neighbourhoods to be gentrified and entire communities evicted. We want quality genuinely affordable housing and public services for all.

Join affected communities, the Radical Housing Network, the European Action Coalition for the
Right to Housing and the City, trade unions, tenants groups and many others to say ‘Our communities are not for sale!’

London Mayor Boris Johnson will be giving an opening address welcoming the property developers and financiers who have come to profit from our communities.

Green Party Assembly Member for London, Darren Johnson, will be attending the demonstration at 9am.

#BlockBoris

Wednesday 15 October, 9am

Meet outside Kensington Olympia tube, Olympia Way, W14 0NE

‘And the Brent Staff Achievement Award 2014 goes to ….ROSEMARIE CLARKE!’

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Leader of Council, CEO and Head of HR  celebrate popular public verdict.     

 Guest Blog by  ‘E.Tribunal’

Nice idea? Here’s how to achieve it. Every year London Borough of Brent asks for nominations from the public for staff members who have ‘gone the extra mile’ and deserve recognition for outstanding achievement. The nomination form is here  http://brent.gov.uk/your-council/staff-awards-2014/nomination-form/

I’ve just filled one in as follows:  

NAME:   ROSEMARIE CLARK       

DEPT:  HR        ADDRESS EMPLOYEE IS BASED AT:  CIVIC CENTRE                                                                    

REASONS FOR NOMINATION:  ROSEMARIE HAS BEEN AN EXAMPLE TO HER COLLEAGUES AND TO THE PEOPLE OF BRENT IN HER BRAVE FIGHT TO ACHIEVE JUSTICE IN THE FACE OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION , VICTIMISATION AND WORKPLACE BULLYING (I don’t have copyright on any of these words so please help yourself). 

I then filled in my name, address and email address. Given the climate of intimidation which exists, some people may find that part problematic. However, everyone has friends and relations who will have heard of Rosemarie’s experiences (or will be happy to learn of them now) and that knowledge will qualify them to vote and will validate their votes in turn.    WM readers will need no reminding that knowledge is power and modern technology presents us with infinite ways of both spreading the knowledge of Brent employees’ achievements and, at the same time, spreading the means by which people can vote on that knowledge.

 One other point: some may wonder whether Rosemarie Clarke, who is actually no longer a Brent employee,  qualifies for nomination; it would hardly reflect well on Brent Council, though, if this were to be raised as an objection given that the recent Watford Employment Tribunal’s verdict made clear that the responsibility for Rosemarie’s constructive dismissal was entirely that of Cara Davani, Christine Gilbert  and the rest of their friends on Brent Council, precisely the people who will most loudly be celebrating the presentation of these awards. Attempting to block nominations would only draw more attention to the Employment Tribunal’s findings.  Spread the word!

CLOSING DATE FOR NOMINATIONS IS  OCTOBER 17: DON’T DELAY, VOTE TODAY

Biomass Energy: The Issues - Film and discussion at Brent Civic Centre

Duncan Law will be showing a film and giving a talk about biomass at Brent Friends of the Earth's (Brent FoE) monthly meeting. It take place at Brent Civic Centre in Wembley on Tuesday October 14^th at 7.30pm. 

Duncan Law, from Biofuel Watch and Transition Town Brixton, will be presenting a short film and giving a talk about the issues around the use of biomass as an energy source.

“Friends of the Earth believes that bio-energy has a role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but only if it is done in a way that protects wildlife and people's livelihoods, and guarantees emissions cuts. Duncan will be explaining more about this important issue, and the questions it throws up regarding land use and protection of the environment,” said Pam Laurance, a coordinator of Brent Friends of the Earth.

Everyone is welcome to attend this free event, and would also be welcome to stay for the rest of the regular monthly group meeting.

The talk and film will start at at 7.30pm till approximately 8:30pm.  Ask at the Civic Centre reception desk for directions to the 3rd Floor Drum, Boardrooms 7&8. Brent Civic Centre is in Engineers Way, Wembley HA9 0FJ, nearest tube Wembley Park. For more information see http://www.brentfoe.com or email info@brentfoe.com.

For further information:

1. Brent FoE has a website at www.brentfoe.com, is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/brentfoe and on Twitter @brentfoe.
2. For more about biomass see LINK

After the Tricycle: Can Arts Organisations say 'No' to Embassy Funding?

TUESDAY OCTOBER 7TH - 7PM 17-25 NEW INN YARD EC2A 3EA

Amnesty has sent the following invitation which will be of interest to readers involved in the debate over the Tricycle Theatre's refusal of Israeli Government funding (via the Embassy) and the subsequent events.

Do artists and arts organisations have the right to say ‘no’ when governments with negative human rights records try to co-opt culture in the service of their public relations strategies? 

Please join the discussion – After the Tricycle: Can arts organisations say ‘no’ to embassy funding?

In August 2014, during the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, the Tricycle Theatre asked the UK Jewish Film Festival to forego Israeli embassy funding. The festival refused, walked away from the Tricycle, and briefed the press that the theatre was boycotting a Jewish festival. The theatre came under sustained attack: campaigns to de-fund the theatre, denunciations by liberal newspaper columnists, even intervention by the Secretary of State for Culture himself.

Do we have to accept that the kind of backlash the Tricycle experienced is inevitable as far as funding by a powerful state is concerned, and make sure we never follow where this theatre led?
Panel chair: Kamila Shamsie, novelist.

Speakers: April De Angelis and Tanika Gupta playwrights, Antony Lerman writer & commentator, and Ofer Neiman of the Israeli group Boycott from Within.

Panel discussion. Free entry, but reservation is recommended.
There will be a drinks reception afterwards.
When: Tuesday 7th October, 19:00 – 21:00. Doors open 18:30
Where: Amnesty International UK Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London. EC2A 3EA.