Eco Hustings Public Meeting – Who is the “Greenest” Candidate in Brent Central?

Parliamentary candidates for Brent Central will be answering questions on local and national environmental issues at an Eco Hustings on Thursday 26^th March at Learie Constantine West Indian Association in Willesden.

The public meeting, organised by Brent Friends of the Earth, will put Labour’s Dawn Butler together with Green candidate Shahrar Ali, Conservative Alan Mendoza, UKIP's Stephen Priestley and John Boyle of TUSC, in the spotlight to see just whose policies are really the greenest. The Liberal Democrats have also been invited.

Ian Saville, Spokesperson for Brent Friends of the Earth says, “This election is crucial for our future. We need firm resolve in our elected representatives to tackle climate change by boosting our economy with green jobs and investing in renewable energy instead of dangerous fossil fuels.”

“This meeting will be a chance for voters to see what candidates have to say on local issues, such as proposals for fracking in Park Royal and the expansion of Heathrow airport, and national ones, such as climate change and energy policy. We invite local residents to come along and ask questions on these and other environmental issues. After all what is the point of politics if we haven’t got a habitable planet?”

The free event takes place on Thursday 26^th March at Learie Constantine West Indian Association, 43-47 Dudden Hill Lane in Willesden, NW10 2ET, starting at 7.30pm. The venue is 2 minutes from Dollis Hill tube station, Chapter Road exit. All are welcome to attend. Refreshments will be available.

Update: Dawn Butler  (Labour) has now confirmed attendance in addition to Shahrar Ali (Green), Alan Mendoza (Conservative)  and  Stephen Priestly (UKIP)

Parents chain themselves to school entrance in protest against forced academisation

Parents chained themselves across school entrance

Report from Brent NUT and ATL

Parents and their children used 20 metres of chains and padlocks to chain themselves across the front entrance of their primary school. They were there to support the teachers and support staff who were taking strike action against the school being forced to become an academy. St Andrew and St Francis Cof E Primary in Belton Rd, Willesden, Brent had taken their first day of action last week and this week they are on strike for two days.

The parents are demanding an independently overseen ballot with full information of the arguments for and against an academy. The so called consultation was a mere letter supporting an academy and a form that asked parents if they did or not. On a small turn out the majority agreed. But the IEB ignored a meeting of parents held at the school who made it clear they were unanimously against an academy. This was not even mentioned in the consultation report sent to the DfE.  Both parents and the education unions have been talking to and handing out information to parents about why the school should not be an academy. The parents’ petition has reached over 360 signing to say they are totally against a forced academy and demanding a fair ballot.

The staff, parents and children sang songs, blew whistles, banged drums and shouted No academy! There was a fantastic feeling of solidarity among the crowd and a determination to continue the campaign.

Irene Scorer, a parent, said, “Today was fantastic. We really showed that we support our teachers and support staff. We’ll keep going until they give us a ballot. We’ll be looking at how we can escalate the campaign. We won’t be bullied into becoming an academy.”

Lesley Gouldbourne, Brent NUT secretary, who represents the majority of the teaching staff at the school, said, “It was great to see so many parents with their children supporting the staff today. The IEB still refuse to recognise the parents’ democratic right to be heard – and we will keep shouting until they do!”

Hank Roberts, ATL Secretary, who also represents staff at the school said, “Today shows that support for the staff taking action against the school being forced to become an academy is growing. 

We also have more staff joining the strike this week. Some children were in school today taught by strike breakers from senior management. But with the growing support from staff and parents to continue and increase such action, the IEB needs to start listening and agree a ballot.”

After Easter more strikes are planned if the IEB do not agree to a ballot for parents which the Unions have even offered to pay for. What have they got to fear from this?

The Brent and Kilburn Times gives the following quote from Brent Council:

A Brent Council spokesman said: “It is central government policy that schools in special measures become academies. Since this is inevitable, it is better that the future of the school is resolved speedily.

“We are aware that trade unions are against St Andrews and St Francis School becoming an academy, however it is important to note that the majority of parents who took part in a consultation earlier this year on the school becoming an academy, said that they were in favour of the proposal.”

The statement ignores the parents' views and is misleading in suggesting that forced academisation is automatic and inevitable. Other schools, with support from their local authorities, have successfully fought of forced academisation proposals.  Unfortunately Labour in Brent acquiesce in such policies even as a General Election approaches where that policy can be challenged.

Michaela Free School 'putting pupils lives at risk' claim teacher unions

Hank Roberts, Union representative on  on Brent Schools Health and Safety Committee has riased serious questions about safety at the Michaela Academy Free School in Wembley Park which opened in September 2014 but is still undertaking building works on the building while it is occupied by the Year 7 children.  This is his letter to Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council containing the draft report:

Dear Muhammed.

Please find enclosed a revised (2^nd draft) copy of our document concerning Michaela Community (Free) school. This is just to clarify particular action points that we are calling for you and the Authority to take up arising from the potentially dangerous situation we uncovered and, we believe, aspects of which are still extant.

1)   For the Authority to write to the Secretary of State for Education and Michaela Community school seeking their response to the specific actions I believe should be undertaken in the section of the document on Page 7 headed “Urgent actions that need to be undertaken”.

2)   That the request in the last paragraph on Page 8 from “We call on the local authority” down to “other Brent LA schools” and further to raise with the Secretary of State both the exact present legal position of the LA in regard to potential hazards facing the health and safety of Brent pupils in free schools (and academies) and the unsatisfactory nature of the present anomalous position.

Yours sincerely,

Hank Roberts

Union Representative on Brent Schools H&S Committee

PS: I am also sending this draft document to the Fire Brigade, H&S Executive, ATL, NASUWT and NUT Teacher Unions, Brent school H&S Reps and the media requesting their observations, comments and actions as appropriate.

Below you can find the full draft document which Mr Roberts has circulated:

 

Campaigners win another round in the Queensbury pub battle

There was great news from the Queensbury Campaign yesterday as they won the second round of the fight against Fairview.  Congratulations to all concerned.

This is how they reported it on their website  LINK:

The appeal by Fairview New Homes has been dismissed by the government Inspector. The Queensbury is saved, again!

Two years of campaigning are summarised in a 17 page letter from the Inspector, received today. The design was flawed, the case for a “landmark” building was flawed, the impact on the conservation area would have been severe. The Inspector gave more reasons than Brent Council (they refused permissionoriginally, in March last year) and the decision is very thorough.

The Inspector noted our campaign and acknowledged that some comments he received “attest to the high esteem in which the venue is held as a well managed, safe and congenial social facility in an area where these are felt to be lacking.” Yep.

In a nutshell he says “the adverse impacts in this instance would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the proposal.” Yep.

We are very proud of what we have achieved. We were up against a legal team in a five day inquiry and an architect who paraded his awards for design. Fairview threw tens of thousands of pounds at a QC Barrister (no wonder when you consider the price of apartments in Willesden). 

We are convinced that had we not taken full part in the Inquiry then the reasons for refusal would have been diluted and Brent’s decision probably overturned. So…….. well done us.

What’s next? The ball is in Fairview’s court but we’d like to see a scheme that retains the building. Fairview will have to go back to the drawing board (literally) and return with something more sensible, or dispose of the land to someone less greedy and willing to reduce their profit. Or they could play the long game and allow the lease on the pub to expire in 2017 and let the building dilapidate (aka The Spotted Dog).

One things is certain – we will be vigilant and continue to fight for our local community buildings, doing our best to protect them. 

You can read the inspector’s full decision here

Parents call for support as teachers strike again at St Andrew and St Francis Primary against forced academisation

Teachers will be strking again on Tuesday March 24th and Wednesday Match 25th at St Andrew and St Francis Cof E Primary School in Willesden.  This time parents ahve issued their own letter supporting the action against forced academisation.

The teachers' letter to parents says:

How much does the IEB presently running St Andrew and St Francis school care about parents and what they think? The answer is not at all.

We offered to call off further strike action if they were prepared to have a proper democratic ballot of parents to find out if they wanted the school to be forced to become an academy OR NOT. But the IEB refused. We again said the unions would pay for the ballot. The IEB still refused.

Parents have told us that the reason most parents did not take part in the original IEB so called consultation is because they did not get enough information to make a decision one way or the other. They were given no arguments why a forced academy was a bad idea. It was not made clear that the Government was forcing St Andrew and St Francis to become an academy.

Parents are now more aware as they have been given the arguments against and so have heard both sides of the argument. Well over 300 parents so far have signed the petition against an academy. If you haven’t yet signed please do.

Further reasons to say NO to an academy are:

.        1)  “Parents are sidelined from all important decisions from saying whether the school 
should convert to the running of the academy”. (All Party Select Committee Jan 2015) 


.        2)  “Nearly half academy trusts have paid millions of pounds in public money towards 
the private businesses of directors, trustees and relatives”. (Nat: Audit Office 2014) 


.        3)  Despite the government promoting academies only 20% of schools have converted. 
That’s why the government is forcing schools to become academies. 

 


The next strike will be for two days on Tuesday 24th March and Wednesday 25th March. We deeply regret the disruption to your child’s education but strike action is not undertaken lightly and, as we said in our last leaflet, is very much the last resort.

Teachers have the future of your child’s education at heart. The IEB clearly does not, as otherwise they would have agreed to a staff and parents’ ballot.

We still demand an independently overseen secret ballot of parents so that you are given a proper say in the future of your child’s education. We also demand that they include an elected staff and parent representative on the IEB. So far they have said NO.

Please join us on Tuesday 24^th outside the school in Belton Rd between 8.15 and 8.45

Bring your own placards, whistles, drums etc.

LET’S MAKE A NOISE AND SAY NO TO AN ACADEMY!

This is the letter from the parents to other parents at the school:

Harrow College proudly shows the way on Sustainability

It was great to visit Harrow College again today to run an environmental stall for their Sustainability Week.  I encouraged staff and students to fill in an on-line survey to see the impact of their life to see many earth planets their current life style was based on. Unfortunately some were consuming the resources of 3 planets or more, when of course we only have one. The lowest was 2.1 planets.

The awareness raising week is busier than ever as the college website demonstrates:

Sustainability Week is a chance for you to participate in lots of activities and information stands for all students and staff to learn about ways we can do more to preserve the earth’s resources, from bees to water conservation, cycling to waste management.

Activities will be at both campuses as follows:
Monday 23rd March - Harrow Weald campus

• Pond and meadow
• Green Party
• Recycling, Up-cycling, food sourcing and charity collections

Tuesday 24th March - Harrow Weald campus

• Cycling events
• Waste management and recycling
• Beekeeping
• Water conservation
• Resourcefulness/ reducing waste
• Up-cycling, food sourcing and charity collections

Thursday 26th March - Harrow on the Hill campus

• Waste management and recycling
• Green party
• Water conservation
• SWISH event (clothes swapping/ recycling)
• Solar panels
• Up-cycling, food sourcing and charity collections

Friday 27th March - Harrow on the Hill campus

• Recycling/ up-cycling
• Food sourcing
• Charity collections
• Resourcefulness/ reducing waste

Pop along to learn more about Sustainability with Harrow College.

I  was interested to see the progress that has been made on their pond and wildlife area on the Harrow Weald campus which is carefully tended by the students.  John proudly told me about the habitats students have created (see below) and the impressive pond life that was seen over the summer, although apparently the frogs still prefer the pond in the greenhouse.

55 years after Sharpville the struggle continues against racism and apartheid

Today was Stand Up to Racism Day in London, part of the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It is celebrated on March 21st because that is the day in 1960 when 69 people were killed by police who opened fire on an anti-pass laws demonstrators in Sharpville, South Africa.

Sharpville was an event that seared itself on my memory as it did many of my generation. LINK

It was fitting that in an event  founded on marking the crimes of South African apartheid that Friends of Al Aqsa LINK were in Trafalgar Square collecting messages calling for the end of the apartheid wall in Israel that separates Palestinians from each other and from Israel.

The public were asked to write a message on the wall which included the statement from Nelson Mandela: 'Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinian people'.

 It was the first major outing for the recently formed Green party BME group.

Rebecca Johnson, Green candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn Stands Up to Racism

 Although I marched with the Green Party is was good to see Brent Anti-Racism Campaign on the march with their much admired banner.

Stand Up to Racism demonstration, Portland Place, Noon tomorrow (Saturday)

There will be a Green bloc on the demonstration. Green Block assembly point 11-11:30am BBC Portland Place, Central London. We will have a large BME Greens banner, so you won't be able to miss us!!

Please bring your own banners and placards!!

March route:

Brent Anti Racism Campaign  (BARC) will also be present. Look out for a big banner with this logo on it: